Acceptance
by Nile1283
Summary: You know it was one heck of a bad career move , when an apparently tame job as a professor entailed babysitting a cranky miko, saving your skin from vengeful Gods and at the same time, trying to save the world... IF you had the time or sanity left...
1. Chapter 1

Hi =D

Disclaimer : I own nothing. Period.

On with the story xD

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><p><strong>CHAPTER I : First Meetings<br>**

**"YOUUUUU ! "**

Miaka stared at the person she had just bumped into headlong, on her way to class.

_"Me."_

The object of her scrutiny acceded calmly staring back at her with an altogether familiar, and not to mention _infuriating_, smirk.

He wasn't all that surprised to see her there. It was Tokyo University after all and the Suzaku no Miko, _despite_ being the savior of the world and a guardian angel to a kingdom full of people in a book, was also of university age now. _Damn. Again_.

He knew his Karmic punishment had started the moment Yui Hongo had walked into his office, a week back inquiring about the Economics department. The Dean of the Department had been out and hearing her voice after all these years, (well three to be exact), he had to resist the urge to smack his forehead before recomposing his features and turning around to answer her query.

Yui had certainly taken it much better than the Suzaku no Miko was reacting now. Or maybe this one just had a flair for hysterics and drama. The eighteen year old blonde had been momentarily stunned and even though her voice had apparently deserted her for a conspicuous length of time, at least she did not shout the house down.

He had waited for her to speak and stayed put where he was, giving her a wide berth, the entire room actually. She stood still near the door which was wide open, giving her the opportunity to bolt out if she felt like it.

They had silently regarded each other for some more time while he gave her the time to get accustomed to his presence….._on the planet._

After a while, it was she who had taken a long breath and broken the silence.

"Nakago.." she had said, still in a daze.

"Yui," he had acknowledged with a slight nod.

"You're here." No lamer short sentence had held a wider ocean of meaning.

"Yes. I am grateful to have been given a second chance…apparently." He had said it quietly and the last word being more for his own benefit than hers. The length of time that he had spent there with her, each silent in their own thoughts , had been awkward to say the least. Somehow, even though in his heart he was too proud to regret the events of the Shijitenchiso, he found it hard not to feel guilty , even for a little bit, for having manipulated the trust and innocence of the fifteen year old girl who had relied on him back then. Hurting innocents had never been part of the original plan. But at the same time, he was not a man who was ruled by his emotions. He was a rationalist. and utilitarian. He had accepted the fact that his plan for revenge, while being understandable, was neither foolproof, nor righteous. And there was nothing he could do now to change the past. He could only try not to commit the same mistakes twice.

"I apologize...for everything," He had said suddenly, still not taking his eyes off of the folder whose cover, by now, he had had memorized twice over.

"We all have a lot to apologize to each other for." His former priestess had looked at him with a wry smile, "But thank you."

He had nodded again and had looked up at her. They had talked for a few minutes, about nothing in particular and had parted on reasonably good terms.

After she left, it suddenly dawned on him that they had, _both of them_, grown up.

The same however, could _not_ be said for the Suzaku No Miko.

To say she was surprised to see him, would have been the understatement of the century.

This was more along the lines of APPALLED, ALARMED AND HOLY WHAT THE..

"Ehh…I see you've met our teacher." The seiryu no miko smiled evasively at her best friend who still had not lowered her accusatory finger from the face of their former archenemy.

Yui had seen her friend , campus map held directly over her face walk straight in the path of a tall blonde who , apparently was in deep thought with his head bowed and hands in pockets. After the initial nasty feeling up her spine had passed, she had run to the scene as fast as she could, eager to stop the inevitable spat that was going to take place within seconds.

"HE TEACHES HERE ? WHAT SUBJECT IS THAT? INTRO TO HOMICIDE 101?"

"Advanced Economics actually", the recently appointed professor supplied smoothly. Seeing as how the day was going so far, he could not have asked for a more dramatic first-day at work. Or traumatic. Depending on one's point of view, really.

Why the lawyers thought that a semester of teaching college students would be a peaceful sabbatical from his otherwise hectic work schedule was now beyond him.

"YUI-CHAN YOU KNEW ABOUT THIS ! HOW COULD YOU KEEP QUIET ! THIS PERSON IS A…IS….A…WELL, I DOUBT HES A HUMAN TO BEGIN WITH." The Suzaku no miko ended with a huff. Apparently, she did not have enough words to describe the menace that was soon going to be her new Economics professor.

"Well, you know," her best friend began mournfully, " you and Taka wouldn't have come here , if I told you before, and.."

Her reasoning was cut short as Miaka Yuuki rounded on her best friend, eyes wide open and exasperation written clearly all over her face.

"HOW IS THAT EVEN A GOOD EXCUSE ? I CAN STILL GET OUT OF HERE NOW YUI AND I SWEAR I WILL. I REFUSE TO BE WITHIN SHOOTING DISTANCE OF THIS….THIS…WELL YOU KNOW WHAT !"

"But..but…you wouldn't ", whined the Seiryu no Miko, grasping at straws, ".. the tuition fees is not totally refundable. It's the first day of school , you would only get seventy percent back..."

" I WILL RISK GOING BANKRUPT IF IT MEANS I CAN LIVE, YUI CHAN !" snarled Miaka in return. She was getting more worked up by the second. The last three years had been the most peaceful and perfect years of her life. She had her best friend and the love of her life with her. They had been through high school together and had worked hard to get into the nation's most prestigious university. Now she refused to believe that the fates would conspire to burst her happy bubble so unpleasantly.

" PLEASE ..you know this is my dream and we all worked so hard for it. To be here. _TOGETHER_. Please understand ," Yui continued, desperate to make her friend see her point of view. "And we met the day me and Tetsuya had come in here to submit all our tuition fees. I talked to him . He's not what he used to be…"

Tokyo University was her one shot at getting her career to the heights she had always dreamed of. Sure she had been less than happy to be confronted with the past when she had met her former seishi that day, a week back. But she had given this a lot of thought. And besides, he wasn't the person he used to be in the book….wasn't he? She couldn't let this ruin her dream. And she wanted her friends with her. And that was that.

But Miaka would have none of it.

" Oh c'mon Yui, we can still change schools, Tokyo U has gone to the dogs anyway."

Momentarily distracted, Yui opened her mouth in surprise to look at her friend. The university they had worked so hard at getting into ,was amongst the nations top ranking universities.

"How can you say that?" she asked , surprised.

"Because,", enunciated the Suzaku No Miko slowly, " THEY HIRED _HIM_ !"

Behind her the tall, stoic man casually stole a glance at his watch , counting the seconds till this happy reunion would end and he would be allowed to go back to his room and look for a pain killer. The Suzaku no Miko and her vocal chords had begun to take a toll on his migraine.

"Much as I enjoy your company, dear priestess, I hope you will excuse me ", he smirked and mock bowed at the girl before him.

"Why ,what are you up to?," snarled Miaka, narrowing her eyes. She could not and would not trust the man even if Suzaku came flying in and asked her to.

"Oh I don't know," her victim said in a tone that was laced with amusement, " but the job letter said I had to occasionally go to classes and heap misfortunes on _other_ college students."

He smirked at her as she continued to glower at him and nodded towards Yui before turning to head back.

But Miaka would die before she let this man, otherwise privately referred to as evil personified, walk away with the last word.

She stopped him before he could get any further.

" OK..just so we are clear Nakago : **Are **you going to try and kill us or not?" She held her chin strongly and stared at the back of his head waiting for an answer. She knew Yui must have forgiven or at least made amends with her former seishi but for herself, she needed some things to be said out in the open to bring closure, if anything.

Gi Ayuru, Investment Banker, 27, smirked as he heard it. He had accepted his past and his mistakes. But still, with the Suzaku No Miko around, things were definitely going to be very lively henceforth.

Without looking back or breaking his stride, he replied, loud enough for only them to here :

"I would, but in this world murder is _kind of_ frowned upon…_so_.."

With that he left both girls staring after him as he made his way back to his room. Yes, he was definitely looking forward to the rest of the semester. But God, he was going to need a lot of pain killers.

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><p><strong> AN :**

Ok so this is my first time here..so eh he he ^_^v

Feel free to critique and point out mistakes .Tips on how to write better are earnestly solicited, as are reviews =D

So, does Miaka yell too much? Does Nakago seem too quiet? Was I smoking something when I made Nakago a university professor? Do u want me to continue? =D

I got the idea of economics from Alcestis's stories actually xD

Read and Review !


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer : Nope, still don't own FY or Nakago *sob*

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><p><strong>CHAPTER II : Dinner Date with the Devil<br>**

It had been a week since the ill-fated encounter with the now_ not-as-dead-as-can-be-hoped_ archenemy and Miaka was rapidly regaining some of her buoyancy and enthusiasm in her surroundings. Although, the thought, of having to change majors, was weighing heavily in her mind. Now what would a rational person choose if given the following choices : a) Economics : Semester full of mathematical crap, possible torture and loss of life, not to mention more math, and of course the godawful bane of her existence _: Him_.

_OR_, b) Art History : serenely looking at beautiful paintings and learning nice things under nice , calm , serene professors in a serene environment. She could see herself as an art historian or possibly as a curator somewhere…

"But you can't be serious?" implored Yui. Miaka had refused to budge from her decision all week. From Yui's point of view, she honestly could not understand the decision. But then again, while the former priestess of Seiryu was very well informed now on matters of right and wrong, she knew she would never be able to deliver an impartial judgment when it came to her once most trusted seishi. So, she let the matter drop before long. Heaven knew Miaka _was _stubborn to a fault. A less dear friend would have compared this trait of hers with a dog's tail but seeing as that same stubbornness had led to things like world peace on more than a few occasions ….

"But you know," her boyfriend of four years had said, " we can't exactly complain that he's here. I am here. So is Hotohori-san and Nuriko. So, I guess, you know…I mean we're okay, so long as he doesn't try to raze Tokyo Tower to the ground again, right?"

Taka Sukunami , reincarnation of Suzaku seishi Tamahome, had come a long way from being the rash, brazen young man he once was. He still jumped when money was mentioned. But if there was one thing that he had taken from his time in the book and his final confrontation with Nakago then, he now knew that the world was not just white and black .

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><p>On her way back from the Enrollments Department that evening however, Miaka was greeted with the strangest sight. Sitting on a bench, in a gazebo, in the middle of a garden, surrounded by <em>flower bushes<em>, looking thoughtfully into the distance, was none other than a very familiar tall, blonde man. The whole scene looked so …_un_-evil…that for a moment she was sure that she was either hallucinating or else thoughtful blonde guy sitting in a bench , in a gazebo, surrounded by flowers, was _not …Him…._

A part of her wanted to slip away quietly. But another part of her was just too darn interested. Curiosity won in the end as she found herself walking through the maze of hedges to where he was sitting.

Hey, curiosity couldn't have killed that cat. Either that, or cats did not have nine lives.

_Now if some stupid cat didn't learn the first eight times over…._

The stray thought made her stop in her tracks for a second.

_Don't answer that,_ her mind supplied helpfully.

She stood about five feet away from him presently, pretty sure that he was too busy planning something evilly evil to notice her. Uncertain now, with her curiosity induced courage long gone, she was deciding the best course of action, till a lazy baritone voice made that decision for her.

" Are you done staring at me? I feel quite…_victimized_…"

_Bastard….. _

She folded her arms and resolutely marched in front of him. The misguided courage was once again back in place, and this time with a vengeance.

"I was walking past and then suddenly I found the _most evil person_ in my acquaintance sitting in a bench planning, undoubtedly, something evil. Out with it, " she continued, " just tell me what you're planning to do so I don't have to play guess anymore."

His lips twitched a little, amused at the outburst. He should have seen this one coming. _Welllllllllll…._

"Can't you see," he said dryly, " I am training these new minions in the arts of apple poisoning and salesmanship . Go away."

He was pointing to the geese who had been wandering aimlessly around the river banks, minding their own business.

For a second, Miaka feared for his sanity.

"You are _drunk!_" , she said , in a hushed voice. For him to appear out of control, was definitely cause for surprise.

He blinked at her and continued in the same dry tone, "Why? You don't see the brilliance of my plan? Ashitare was only skilled on land and look at the damage he did. Now here I have an army of ambidextrous ninja ducks. Suzaku will be begging for mercy before long,plus I have no complaints about dinner anymore."

Suddenly, the priestess of Suzaku let out a horrified giggle she had been holding in for the past few minutes.

"I don't think the minions appreciate being eaten."

"I was never known for my benevolent nature, Suzaku no Miko."

Regaining her composure, she stared intently at him. She could not believe she was having a conversation about geese with her former arch enemy. Yes, the same person who had tried to kill her more times than she dared to count.

He stretched his legs and got up. As if sensing her thoughts from a moment ago, he said , " The point is, dear priestess, you should not be quick to stereotype people…or let your guard down too easily."

The bland mask of supreme apathy hadn't changed. But she couldn't look away from his eyes. Two swirling pools of darkness seemed to be staring right through her and into her soul. She felt like a man standing in the tracks with the train approaching. There's that one moment when you know you have to move but something just keeps you there, hypnotized…

Ayuru smirked internally at the young woman in front of him. To think she was the same person who had stopped him , a lifetime back.

Jolting out of her reverie, Miaka desperately thought of something to say , to clear the uneasy air that seemed to have made a habit out of forming, every time they met.

" I changed my major. I am doing Art History now," as the words left her lips, she realized, once again, tact was not her strong suit. "You're looking," she carried on with pride she really did not feel, " at the next curator of the Louvre."

He studied her for a moment and then bent down to pick up his laptop that he had originally working on before Miaka had shown up. Smirking, he replied , in a tone of mock exasperation, " Oh now you choose to back down from a threat." He shook his head, apparently, very disappointed.

Miaka blinked at him in surprise. But then again, did she think she could ever mislead HIM? The overlord of all things manipulative and _eeeeeeevillllll?_

The thought made her bite back a smile.

"HA…you wish .I have defeated you once and I will again, if I need to." There was no malice in her words or even a sense of accomplishment, just friendly banter.

The Suzaku no Miko, had very casually , undermined something that had been the center of his past life.

He looked down at their feet and smiled to himself. Maybe, one of them had the more accurate view on life, and it wasn't him.

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><p><em>"YEEEEEEEEEEESH!"<em>

Yes, the high pitched squeak, had emanated from the same person he had begrudgingly been accepting as the better philosopher in his head.

"What happened?", he asked, curious, as to what could have possibly elicited that unearthly shrill sound from _any human_ , let alone her.

The priestess of the phoenix looked at him mournfully. Utter distress was written plainly all over her face. "Well, no thanks to you, I am five minutes away from losing my dinner."

_Ah…food, the Suzaku no Miko's personal kryptonite…._

"Would you like me to take you to anywhere?" he offered, wondering inanely to himself, what had possessed him to be polite to her of all people.

Miaka stared back at him, her face full of alarm and eyebrows raised in utter disbelief.

"Will I be coming back alive?"

Really, she did not trust him anymore than she trusted a snake.

He shrugged noncommittally at her. "Depends on how _thoroughly_ you annoy me on the way."

She looked at him surreptitiously and mentally calculated her chances. She did not have a car. Unfortunately. Taka lived in his own apartment out of campus. Calling Yui would be of no help as she was as woefully car-less as Miaka herself. All that was left, were the campus vending machines and pretzels had turned annoying after her third day on campus.

Throwing cautions to the winds, she made up her mind. After all, this wouldn't be the first time he had lured her with food. _And this cat definitely has nine lives…._

She looked up at him and stated in what she hoped was a no-nonsense voice, " Well, it's your fault I skipped dinner.."

He raised his eyebrows at that but chose not to comment.

"..so you're going to have to pay mister. But be warned, if one hair on my head is out of place, you are going to have to answer to a lot of people."

"That means," countered Ayuru, "so long as your hair is okay, I can do anything-"

"SHUT UP !" she glared at him.

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><p>"Hey that's not fair. Evil people should not have cars like this !"<p>

The whine had come from the Suzaku no Miko after she had taken a good look at the smooth black and undoubtedly expensive Jaguar that was sitting idly in the faculty parking lot , standing out quiet noticeably in a sea of unassuming Toyotas and Hyundais.

He smirked at her unflattering outburst. By now he was used to her speaking her mind in front of him. It was a breath of fresh air truthfully, because from where he came from, people usually had the urge to trip over themselves to be in his good books – something he found convenient but utterly pathetic. The russet haired teenager , however, had no problems calling him out every chance she got. And it was very entertaining for him to watch her fume every time he returned the favor with interest.

"Feel free to switch sides then," He said nonchalantly, " and I'll give you the "Starter kit to evil…_for dummies"_, to get started on."

This one, she did not grace with a reply.

He turned around and held out the door open for her to get in. She, on the other hand, shot him a look that conveyed utter loathing. So much for being the priestess for the God of love , thought Ayuru to himself, smiling at the irony.

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><p>They arrived at a cozy diner not too far from the campus.<p>

The car ride has gone entirely in silence and courtesy dictated that since he was the one paying, she should at least attempt some form of conversation.

"So exactly, what possessed you to be a teacher?" she said, taking a bite out of her sandwich.

He looked up from his steak to pay attention to her.

"Why, to make your life miserable of course, I thought we cleared that already."

"Would it kill you to give me a straight answer for once?"

"Yes."

Letting out a small hmmpf, the Suzaku No Miko returned her attention back to her own dinner. _There, she had tried._

"I am not a professional teacher." She looked up to find him answering his steak. "I work as a corporate investor for a bank. I am here because our bank has partnerships with your school, possibly for an internship program for new potential recruits. I was told this would be less stressful," he paused and looked up at her, "…and then I saw you."

Ignoring the jibe, Miaka ploughed on , "Oh so you must be pretty rich, huh?"

_As if that car wasn't proof enough, _her mental voice commented.

He was still looking at her and Miaka had the feeling that the soul-searching-X-ray eyes had been turned on again.

"Not as rich as you are, in some ways.."

With that , he went back to cutting his steak while she stared at him with a shell shocked expression.

He had been acting weird all evening _but was that a compliment?_

It was a veiled compliment for sure. He had said it casually but she was sure he wouldn't be caught dead saying that again. And coming from him, given their past, that definitely was something. _Wow.._

Ayuru had noticed the emotions playing on her face as she thoughtfully chewed on her sandwich. The unexpected compliment had put him off guard as much as it had apparently unsettled her. In his mind, he knew that it was true, but admitting was a different issue altogether.

Besides, life would lose color if she thought he had given up on the "evil" line of business.

"I was referring," he said smirking at her, " to your vast resources of stupidity and clumsiness."

"Thought so." Said the Suzaku no Miko, smirking right back.

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><p>The drive back to campus, was once again a silent affair. But this time, it was a comfortable silence.<p>

Miaka Yuuki, priestess to the beast God Suzaku, wondered if she were insane for actually having gone on a dinner with her enemy and having a good time. Her mind told her, for the things he had done, he should never be forgiven. At the same time, she knew that some of the animosity she had felt for the erstwhile Seiryu seishi , had somehow vanished somewhere between the sandwich and the dessert.

He had killed a lot of people and heaped miseries on a lot of others, her own self included, in his past life. But he had paid the price then. And now that he was being given a second chance, was he really going to change for the better? Yui had reconciled with her seishi and Taka wasn't too perturbed ,generally speaking.

_But then Tamahome has fists of fury….Usssss?_

And lastly, the people that he had killed, her friends, had all been reincarnated in her world. Hotohori was now a very prominent businessman, successful in his own right. Nuriko, curiously, a woman now, worked at a restaurant as a waitress and was happy with her modest income. Mitsukake was now one of the leading surgeons of the nation. Chiriko was in high school. He wanted to study abroad after finishing.

She took a sidelong glance at the man sitting beside her and knew that here was a topic that would need a lot of thought. Somehow she sensed much of her life depended on her decision. And it really did. While art history was a word she liked, she knew little else of the topic. But accounting was what she had prepared for all through high school…

"Do you know," she commented suddenly, " at this rate, if I make it back to school, it will be the first time you lured me in with food and let me go unharmed?"

He frowned at her general direction. "I never lured you in with food. You were just _that_ stupid."

"Oh really?" she mocked him.

His lips curled in amusement, "Let's _enumerate_."

"I am all ears." His companion commented with mock sweetness and a overly wide smile.

"Well, the first time you were, as you say, lured, in the palace, was Yui's idea. And the time in Hokkan-"

The smile disappeared from her face before the word had left his mouth. He paused for a moment before continuing again. "And the time in Hokkan when you effectively cleaned me out of rations, _that_ was _my_ dinner. I was left… _unsatisfied_… in _every_ sense of the word that day..."

She was silently staring out of the window. They had reached the campus.

He got out and walked over to her door to help her out. Her face was a bit pale and she was carefully avoiding his eyes. Her manners suddenly had turned extremely polite as she thanked him for the "wonderful dinner" and for his "kindness" etc etc.

"Now I would offer to walk you back to your dormitory to protect you from harm but that would be the height of hypocrisy. Can you manage on your own?"

She nodded mutely. That she would let such a perfect chance to mock him slip by unnoticed, was now cause for concern for him. To his own surprise, he was a bit distraught when she did not jump to the bait like she normally would have.

He sighed as he closed the door and locked the car before going after her. This night was not over yet.

She did not object when she found him walking in step with her. In fact, she did not give a reaction at all. Her mind was on other things. She had nearly decided to give him a second chance but then he dragged her attention back to that night in Hokkan. A night she would have gladly forgotten. But now she remembered everything with vivid clarity. His words, the expression on his face, her own acute fear….they were all back..

He had his hands in his pockets. For the first time in his present life, he was at a complete loss as to how to broach an awkward topic. He had been guided by the wrong ideals. But even then, the idea was only to scare her and make her think that she had been compromised. Both in this life and in the past life, Gi Ayuru ,otherwise known as Seiryu no Shichiseishi Nakago, was guilty of a lot of things, but forcing himself upon helpless people was something that made his blood boil now as much as it did then.

For reasons best left unremembered, he concluded silently in his mind. Unbidden images floated in his head and he could do little to stop them. But at the same time, the fierce, unbridled, passionate hatred that he was now feeling, made him acutely aware of her current state of mind.

"For what it's worth," he said quietly, "I didn't mean to go through with it."

She glanced at the tall man walking beside her. He was currently paying a great deal of attention to his shoes. But she did not miss his words, or their meaning.

" Yeah, I know.." she replied softly after a while when no more explanations seemed to be forthcoming.

He raised his eyebrows at that. "You do?"

"Yes," she said, suddenly smiling at him, "you were too proud and arrogant to stoop that low. And you always thought you were better than the rest of us too." She said the last part almost wistfully.

If he was stunned at that revelation, he did a good job of digesting it without a change in expression. The Suzaku no Miko had once again managed to surprise him with her sudden, and disgustingly accurate, insight of his character. What she said was true to some extent. He had always valued his own sense of discipline and had internally mocked others who were floored by appearances. During his time as Shogun, he had only shared his bed with one person : Soi, and even that had been an act of necessity, he would request for her company only whenever he needed a raise in his energy levels. In fact, truthfully, he realized, his standards were more lax now than then. He didn't need anyone to raise his chi anymore, but like every other singles in any city, he had had his share of girlfriends and meaningless flings as often as his work permitted.

But how one person, who got distracted by cheeseburger and cute puppies, could have seen through that, was very annoyingly respect-worthy,.

He looked at the girl walking beside him. The buoyancy was back in her face . This was another thing about her he noticed. She was, for the most part, as plain to read as a newspaper, but even with that apparent transparency, she managed to surprise people with her sudden and accurate intuitive skills. The Suzaku No Miko, he surmised, was a veritable Jack-in-the-box when it came to surprises and hidden character traits.

"Well, if you're appeased," he said, smirking at her , "would you mind saying something stupid and insulting so I can sleep in peace tonight?"

Now it was her turn to be surprised.

"I just did insult you, didn't I? Proud and arrogant? How dare you insult me by not recognizing my insults? A lot of work goes into that you know." Her voice was back to light and cheerful.

"Unfortunately that was a bit character redeeming." He said dryly, " Doesn't count."

She chuckled at that when an idea hit her.

"Is that so?" she arched her eyebrows at him. Too bad they didn't arch in the same gracefully mocking manner as his did (she knew because she had checked in the mirror not two days ago), but then, she reasoned, _that_ came with years of practice, of being evil of course. No one, could do eyebrows like that unless they were genuinely, thoroughly, irredeemably evil. Like this specimen here. Have you seen a more evil person? Hmmmm?

"Well don't be too sad about it," Suzaku's chosen priestess commented gaily, " I will have the whole semester to heap insults on you."

Another surpise.

"Does that mean you will be changing back to Economics?" he inquired, curiously.

"Hai !"

It was her way of forgiving him , he knew. The Suzaku no Miko, was, indeed, a strange one.

"In fact, I'll make a list of funny insults to run by you every week."

"I am sure they won't be half as funny as your midterm results !"

"Jerk !"

He smirked at that. "Thank you, glad to know I haven't lost the golden touch yet."

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><p>When Miaka returned to her dorm that night, two things were immediately apparent to her best friend. For one, gone was the mopey ,dejected face that had been present all day. And two, it was ten in the night and the Suzaku No Miko had been gone for almost four hours and whatever she had been doing, definitely had had a great affect on her.<p>

"Were you out on a date with Taka again or did you steal food from the cafeteria?" Yui asked suspiciously.

Miaka smiled brightly at her best friend. " I am back to Economics Yui- chaaaaaaaaaan"

"REALLY?".

"YEAAAAA…..now I can be with you guys after all !" the former priestess of Suzaku was , to be precise, jumping on the couch.

"But, then what happens to…you know…," asked the Seiryu No Miko in concern.

"Oh its fine. I'll deal with that jerk. Besides I have to be there to protect you all right?"

Yui Hongo took a second to thank whichever God was responsible for this sudden change in behavior before turning her suspicions back on the object at hand.

"Okay. Something happened. Spill." She looked squarely at her best friend who was still grinning away like a loony.

"'snotevilanymore." If possible the grin just got bigger.

"Excuse me?" said the dragon priestess , hardly believing her ears.

Miaka smiled at her best friend. She couldn't blame Yui for being so protective and suspicious.

"It's a long story Yui chan, but suffice to say, to be or not to be , is absolutely out of the question now!" said Miaka happily, " Evil blondes notwithstanding, I will get that degree !"

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><p><strong>Notes from yours truly =D<strong>

First of, thanks so much, to the people that reviewed and read the first chapter :D hope you guys will read/like this chapter too =D

**Jangjang1229** : haha thanks :D i really want to finish it too :D n i will :D dont worry xD

**Flashyfirebird **: :D:D:D thanks so much for reading :D well I took your advise, I get what you said about show n tell, actually my professor for composition stressed more on tell than show, =D I keep hearing her in my head every time i write now...this chapter is more like how I generally write..so moar show XDDD

aaaaand I'm looking for beta's..i'l contact any that I find interesting =D n u were rite about Miaka speaking too much in caps, I dislike shouting myself, but her doing it sounded cute in my head lol.

That being said xDD what does everyone think of this chapter? :D:D:D

~Did I make Nakago too...whats the word...un-evil? I always saw him as a person who clearly understood right and wrong but ignored them for the benefit of his goal. What do you think?

~ "apple poisoning and salesmanship" yup, remember Snow White and her evilly evil step mother?

Ok that's it I guess =D

Pleaseeee reviewwww :D


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer : **I own zilch. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. -.-

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><p><strong>CHAPTER III : On Epitaphs and Epithets<br>**

_"Questions on that?"_

Sitting in a class room and listening to your former enemy rattle off economic theories with the same apathy he usually killed your friends with in his past life, was disconcerting to say the least.

Miaka had accompanied Yui to what was now the third class of Advanced Economics that semester (having missed the earlier two in throes of indecision). At least Yui had the decency to look like nothing was wrong and was currently taking notes. Miaka, on the other hand, had long ago given up on concentrating to what was actually being said. Personally, she thought, with glee, that he sucked as a teacher. The erstwhile Seiryu Seishi had walked into class, and had spared a cursory glance over the student body and then proceeded to take attendance with a detachment that would have made a monk proud. Currently, the class was discussing the basics of capitalism. Or at least, he was speaking while the class in general had split itself into two groups with the female population gazing at him with vacant eyes and the male population pretending not to care or possibly formulating plans for his accelerated demise.

Seeing some of the girls sitting in the front row, looking completely taken with their new teacher, Miaka could not help but recollect the first time she had seen him. Gorgeous, blonde hunk had been her exact first words. But that was before she came to know of his other less-than- adorable characterestics. Since then, no adjective attributed to him went without the added "eeevil".

"Well if that is all, class is dismissed. Please find your home work posted online as usual. Thank you."

_Oh…_

The thought that she had spent an entire lecture musing on Nakago of all people, was not a happy one. Now she was behind by three classes. It was further aggravated by Yui, who, it seemed, refused to be perturbed by anything (read: _him_) these days.

Despite appearances, Miaka Yuuki , priestess of the god of love , knew in her heart of hearts, that she did not want to forgive Nakago. So what if he was repentant and he had turned over a new leaf and had, also apologized to some extent for his past, so what if Tamahome and Yui had gotten over his presence in their world so soon, so what if she really did enjoy that dinner they had had together a while back. Was all that really enough to make up for his deeds? She was human herself and despite people regularly commending her on her boundless optimism and forgiving nature, she knew she couldn't let go of the terrible feeling of loss each time she had lost one of her seishi in the book. And for that, Miaka knew, it would be long before she would really, really forgive him. But for now politeness couldn't hurt, could it? It was out of politeness that she had even agreed to go on that dinner with him and it was again, politeness which had led her to accept his offer of apology. Was she being indecisive? Perhaps. But at least she was being true to herself. This just wasn't about his reprieve but it was also about respecting the dead.

_But they came back to life didn't they?_

_Shut up ! I just made up my mind after so long !_

Secured with her current state of decisiveness, Miaka looked around to see that the rest of the class had shuffled out but Yui and _him_ were having a very animated conversation.

It was time to try out her new weapon of polite indifference and gathering herself up , Miaka went over to the other two.

* * *

><p>"But <em>why not?"<em>

Miaka was surprised to hear that Yui was actually whining. Yui Hongo always took pride in herself for being a cool and collected individual. She was one of course, for the most part. But her attitude with the former general of Kutoh was a revelation.

"Well, because I have to catch up with my own work over the weekends."

"What's going on?" , Miaka asked warily. If their conversation was headed in the direction she thought it was headed,

"I was trying to get Nakago, uhh..Professor Gi here, to come to my birthday party on Friday", informed her best friend pouting a little bit, "but he's too busy it seems."

_Really isn't it a bad omen to be inviting a confirmed murderer to a birthday party…_

While her friend was too busy to catch the look of silent horror that was currently presiding over Miaka's face, the expression did not go unnoticed by the man sitting behind the desk.

The former general of Kutoh tilted his head towards the Suzaku priestess and gave her a small nod of mockery along with a smile of Cheshire cat proportions before turning his attention back on his own priestess.

"_Well ,on the other hand, ….."_

* * *

><p><em>"You're mad!"<em>

"Oh let it go Miaka chan. I really want him there. You have all your seishi with you and they are your companions. Shouldn't I try to salvage relationships with my comrades too? And that one there, whether you like it or not, is the only one I have got. So please try to bear with him for my sake?"

Miaka looked into the earnest teal eyes of her friend.

It was true Yui Hongo was a very smart, no nonsense character and generally in control of things. But deep down, Miaka could always see the kindergarten kid who had always craved for company and acceptance. And sometimes, this same craving made her do things without thinking closely enough. Their time in the book had taught Miaka a lot about life and her surroundings. It had also helped her understand her best friend better and forgive Yui for ..well…

Sometimes Miaka even wondered if Yui tried to compensate for her loneliness by over achieving in school.

"Oh alright." Miaka sighed, accepting defeat for the sake of her best friend. It was a win win situation either way. If Nakago could stay put in a room for five minutes without engineering a catastrophe, it would be good for the world in general. And if he did do anything, Miaka would make sure to make Yui remember that for a _very_ long time…

* * *

><p>His hand stilled for a second at the door bell. Honestly, the last few weeks had been tiring to say the least, with his past catching up at every turn. And he had little enthusiasm to spend the rest of this life apologizing to every soul he had ever wronged.<p>

He had agreed eventually, at Yui's behest but standing on the other side of a door which led to a room full of people who no doubt hated him with passion, wasn't a pleasant venture.

Breathing in deeply, Ayuru reached out his hand once again, to face the inevitable.

"Awwwwww, you're nervous", said a decidedly loud and gleeful voice. What followed, was a very disrespectful chuckle.

"Never thought I would live to see the day to see you like this," continued the owner of the voice blithely, evidently enjoying his discomfiture.

"Nuriko, I presume."

Having never seen the former Suzaku warrior in their previous lives, he could only assume that the beautiful female with the purple hair streaming past her waist and who was addressing him a little too familiarly, was the same person whose demise he had orchestrated at the hands, or rather, paws of Ashitare.

But if memory did not deceive him, she used to be a he…

"My eyes are up here, Shogun sama." smirked Nuriko, effectively jolting Ayuru out of his reverie and supposed preoccupation with her..err…assets.

Looking up at her face, he could not help but smirk and fall in with her easy joviality.

As if sensing his confusion from earlier, Nuriko grinned wide at her former arch enemy ,"I finally picked a side,"said she, twirling on her left foot for his benefit, " you like?"

" Good choice." Turning the doorknob, he bowed and stepped aside, letting her go through first. "After you."

The purple haired, flamboyant seishi took hold of his shirt sleeve and literally dragged him along as well.

"Why so formal?" she winked, " You killed me, my friend killed you, we are practically family now."

Not for the last time that evening, the former shogun of Kutoh, Gi Ayuru, had the inexplicable urge to bang his head against something.

* * *

><p>The Hongo residence was actually quite a spacious apartment . Yui and her mother had lived there ever since her parents had divorced. It was, by all means, a very modest apartment but it had the aura of belonging to a loving and close knit small family,as was evident from the countless picture frames and other memorabilia scattered prettily around the room. The house reflected a security which Yui had come to expect even in the outside world. A security, which if vaguely disrupted, tended to elicit less than pleasant reactions from the Seiryu priestess. He would know. He was responsible for her insecurities in the first place.<p>

"Oh, you made it," The Seiryu priestess greeted the former Suzaku warrior with a hug and a bright smile. " Mom's out to meet one of our relatives so we have the place all to ourselves."

Evidently everyone was very well acquainted with everyone else.

"Hi," Yui said, turning to face him for the first time and smiling shyly.

"Hello," He acknowledged, "Happy Birthday." He added , giving her the present.

Yui raised her eye brows in amusement at the small delicately wrapped box he held out for her.

"You didn't wrap this,did you?" she said smiling, evidently determined to break the ice.

"Hell, no," He shrugged, a light smile tugging at his lips. "One of the very few things I am not good at."

* * *

><p>Introductions were a rather unpleasant affair.<p>

The former emperor turned businessman had arrived ten minutes after Nuriko and Ayuru. Taka, Miaka and Chiriko had arrived previously and had headed straight to the kitchen. Mitsukake had been the last to arrive. Being the head surgeon in a busy hospital had its fair share of crazy time tables. The surgeon had barely nodded politely in his direction and had ignored him completely from there ,which suited him just fine.

Hotohori, on the other hand, had taken it up on himself to talk about general things but his conversation was generously peppered with insults thrown at the former Kutoh general every now and then. Not being a patient man himself, Ayuru had replied at the third go. And_ voila._

"When a soldier enters into battle voluntarily, he _automatically_ grants amnesty to his killer."

_"What,"_ snarled the former emperor of Suzaku, positively breathing fire with his words, " kind of a _t__wisted_ logic is that?"

"Well you shouldn't go near the sea if you are afraid of getting wet," replied the object of Saihitei's intended wrath with a degree of apathy that only served to invite more ire , " there were others that died in that particular battle. It was foolishness on your part as a monarch to fight at the front lines."

"But of course I could not expect one such as you to understand the meaning of patriotism." snapped back the Suzaku swordsman.

"But let's discuss the rules of leadership then, shall we?",said Ayuru, finally growing tired of the incessant banter. "Regardless of how emotionally attached you were to the country you ruled, when you went to battle that day, you did it for the sake of your priestess,completely forgetting the fact that there was an entire country full of subjects whose well being depended on _your _continued survival." If the former Seiryu warrior was indeed angry, there was no way anyone could have guessed that save for the tell tale glower in his darkened eyes. "To say nothing of your wife and unborn child…"

The others present in the room stood shock still, with eyes wide open as their friend Hotohori wordlessly got up and strode over to the balcony. The others waited in respectful silence till he left the room because if his rigid gait was any indication , the Suzaku swordsman was currently livid enough to kill.

Ayuru smirked wryly to himself as the balcony door snapped shut, indicating Saihitei's departure. He had anticipated a confrontation and part of the reason he had agreed to Yui's demands was to face said confrontations and be done with it. During his previous life time, Chichiri and Hotohori were the only people from Konan that Nakago had any inkling of respect for- the former for his capable sorcery skills and the later for the care he had shown for his country and miko, in sharp contrast to the emperor of Kutoh. But Nakago did not have the license to be appreciative of bravery during the most important of his life , not when he himself was very close to sealing the deal on a lifelong vendetta. And of course there was a fine line between what was bravery and what was foolhardiness. Saihitei would not have had to die if did not get in the way.

"Welll….," ventured Yui, looking cautiously at the rest. Everyone appeared a bit dazed.

Getting up from his seat, Ayuru stalked out , leaving a room full of people gaping at his back. The kitchen was empty except for well, Tamahome, who had chosen that inopportune moment to be fixing a salad. Great. Another one.

"You know , I am surprised that you haven't said anything yet. It feels kind of anticlimactic." said the former Seiryu seishi, staring coolly at the violet haired man before him who was calmly peeling lettuces to decorate a nearby salad bowl.

"You forget I had the pleasure of killing you." came the smirking reply. Taka did not bother to take his eyes off from his work to know that his companion was currently throwing a very murderous look his way.

"Besides, my whole family came back."

"You mean the rest of the Suzaku circus?"

"No," continued Taka patiently with a smirk, " the rest of my own know them, don't you? Of course you do. You killed them ,_ remember?"_

Ayuru studied the face of the man before him. His words contained no malice but still it irritated him to have his past thrown back at him so casually. "Your point?"

"Nothing," said the former warrior of Suzaku, picking up his bowl and lettuce and brushing past the taller man. "Nothing at all..."

When Sukunami Taka had first heard about the reappearance of their arch enemy, the news had taken some getting used to. But their final battle had had a tremendous effect on him. It had taken nights for the former seishi of Suzaku to erase the peaceful countenance that he had witnessed on the face of his arch enemy moments before his fist had ripped right through the other man's chest. Seeing the ruthless, arrogant Seiryu warrior welcome death with that sphinx-like smile had struck a deep chord with the Suzaku seishi. He still remembered the moment his hand had connected with the other warrior's body. Taka suspected that those fleeting memories that he had been surrounded with for a few seconds, where the Seiryu general's innermost thoughts and he doubted if anyone else knew what he had seen. Nakago did not strike him as the type to open up over a few drinks.

* * *

><p>The former emperor of Konan had been standing on the modest balcony of the Hongo's apartment , ostensibly admiring the night sky. Very few things had changed for him in the past two life times. He had been born into a world of comfort and had been, just like in the past, handed responsibilities of upholding a family name from a young age. He had, actually, made sensational news in recent years by being Japan's youngest CEO at eighteen. But once again all people saw was the heir of the powerful business family scaling newer heights of success. Few people noticed the lonely boy who gradually turned into a man constantly under the media glare and who was tired of shouldering the same burdens over and over again.<p>

And of course there was the family that he had left behind along with the son that he would never know. This piece of realization had manifested itself on his eighteenth birthday as well , along with all the memories of his past. Between running a corporate empire and dealing with prolonged guilt attacks, it was a miracle he was as sane as he was.

Lost in his own thoughts, the Suzaku swordsman barely noticed as the balcony door slid open once more with a discreet swish and announced a new presence.

Ayuru, having had enough of the Suzaku warriors, or as he personally liked to refer to them collectively as 'the idiots', had decided to step out for a smoke, forgetting that the Suzaku emperor was possibly still there. But as soon as he set foot on the balcony and registered the presence of the man he had verbally abused less than half hour ago, he stopped in his tracks.

Now, normally, Gi Ayuru was a man of power and authority and well known for his refusal to back down in front of a challenge. But currently he was in two minds about inviting another spat from the Suzaku swordsman . With one hand still on the door knob, he was just about to make a sneaky but clean getaway as the Suzaku seishi chose that moment to turn and look at the new arrival.

_Too late._

With perfect poise that came with years of experience as a professional, Ayuru nodded briefly to the other occupant in balcony and dragging his retreating foot back in through the door with all the grace and confidence of an executive, held out the packet of cigarettes :

"Do you mind?"

He had to keep his own face from twitching at the hypocrisy of the situation he had landed himself in.

_Well, I don't think twice before insulting you every chance I get , but I am so polite I'll ask for your permission when I have to smoke in your presence…_

The former Emperor looked at his sworn enemy with a mixture of incredulity and disdain but bit back a cutting retort for the sake of his hosts.

"Be my guest."

Smirking a little to himself at how well that went, Ayuru lit up his cigarette. Not that he was a chain smoker, but sometimes the irrational side in him did want to smoke his way out of situations.

They were both quietly watching the night sky. It was a wonder really that you could still see the stars in metropolitan cities such as this one.

Hotohori stood looking straight ahead as the silence between them grew thick enough to drive a knife through.

"Did you by any chance write that article on inflation in the Business Express' June edition?"

Well that came out of the blue. But then , Ayuru assumed , that as a businessman himself, Saihitei would be expected to be on top of things such as these.

"Yes."

"Hmm. I never realized the coincidence with the name before. How did you land such a tame , respectable job?"

If respectable was a word dubiously endowed on Gi Ayuru, tame definitely was not. In the last decade as a investment banker and sometimes consultant, he had garnered a tremendous reputation for himself as a financial mogul . Businessmen and industrialists hounded him constantly. It was partially the reason for his sabbatical as a college professor. His workaholic schedule had invited a constant and steady bout of migraine which made it impossible to sit at meetings with a nice countenance.

"Fate." He said, smirking. "The person who interviewed me was rail drunk at the time. Now it's too late to kick me out. How did you end up heading an empire all over again?"

The Imonoyama group currently headed by Saihitei's father ,who presided over the empire as its managing director, included Imonoyama Communications, Imonoyama Capital, Imonoyama Power and Imonoyama Infrastructure . It was a lot to take in : a present day empire.

"Fate. My father was rail drunk and forgot contraceptives."

_"Cheers."_

Both went back to surveying the night sky. The conversation that had taken place could not be considered as reconciliatory by any stretch of imagination. But at least they were on civil terms and given their history, _that _was already too much to ask for.

* * *

><p>"Oh Hotohori, there you are. I was looking every where for you !"<p>

Miaka whipped open the balcony door and launched herself on Hotohori with a determined happy grin.

"What are you doing here all by yourself?" the former priestess asked of her friend and seishi.

Hotohori had to smile in the face of his beloved priestess. "Nothing, just admiring the peaceful night sky. And anyway , I'm not alone, Gi-san is here too."

If possible Miaka's grin broadened as she blinked innocently at her friend. " Exactly, which is why I am asking what you're doing alone out here, without _human_ company?"

Hotohori stared at his priestess for a split second before bursting into laughter. Behind them , the former Seiryu warrior snorted but kept his thoughts to himself.

Miaka dragged her friend back in by the arm but not before casting a truly evil and baleful glare at his direction. " Put that out and get back in, we're ready to cut the cake."

Ayuru regarded the miko with silent amusement as she ushered her former seishi back into the apartment. It was funny how she managed to breathe hot and cold like that.

"What have I _ever_ done to you to deserve censure like this?"

His tone and speech were completely at odds as he lounged casually on the steel railing.

Miaka looked at him calmly even though anger was currently poring out of her in heat waves. She was indignant at the nonchalant way he had treated all her friends once again, solidifying her faith in him that he could and would do, the absolute worst if given a chance.

"You know, this is an old house and the railings have all rusted. I hope the railing gives in and you fall over. I will be very happy to compose a heartfelt epitaph for you."

Ayuru surveyed the young woman before him as a wide smirk stretched on his face, despite his best efforts.

"I don't trust your _heartfelt_ emotions at all. You have my permission to lie and write about what a magnificient inspiration I wa-"

A few things happened simultaneously. His foot slipped on a stone. The smirk died from his eyes and was replaced by a very surprised expression as the top half of his body tilted at an unsafe angle.

Miaka watched in abject horror as her wish from a few minutes ago seemed to coming true. After all, the railing was too small and for a tall man such as him, lounging on it wasn't the safest idea.

Her world slowed for a second as she shook herself out of her momentary paralysis and lunged forward to grab his shirt and pull him back in before it was too late.

Two seconds later they were standing still, safe. Miaka was still holding his shirt as if for dear life. The tall man next to her was eerily silent. Still breathing heavily, Miaka slowly extricated herself from the near embrace and started to leave without a word. She needed to be alone for sometime to wash away the unearthly feeling of horror she had felt, at witnessing him, her sworn enemy, nearly losing his balance and falling off the balcony.

She was about to leave when a single sentence made her stop dead in her tracks.

"That was a joke."

Her hand stilled on the door as stormy golden eyes, burning with potent fury turned to glare at calm sapphire ones.

"_Jackass."_

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><p><strong>NOTES :<strong>

Well, still trying to set up the stage here. Sorry for the slow pace But what do you guys think? Please review and let me know , I like to hear opinions. Pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeese xD I haz cookiez.

I am sure I had a couple of other things to say too, but the nice thing about important details is that you can't remember them when you need to =\ Oh well, I am sure it will come to me..soon …

For the name "Imonoyama" think clamp school, not my cooking. I just thought the name sounded very important xD

Big thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapter _**Jangjang1229 , Jacky20**_. Thank you guys :D **_angelrei06_ **: haha I know, me too lol. I used to be a hotohori fan before.

Thank you also to the folks who put the story in their alert list xDD hope you'll like wherever this is heading.

See you guys until the next chapter. And reviews make me a very happy and enthusiastic person.

Very happy and doubly enthusiastic.


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer : **Still don't own anything =\

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><p><strong>Chapter IV : Pack your bags, We're going to Hell<br>**

Money buys you happiness. The thought had occurred suddenly to the former Seiryu warrior as he stood in his penthouse apartment atop the fifty floored Ritz-Carlton, surveying the quiet morning sky. Easily one of the tallest skyscrapers around, the hotel provided a magnificent view of the city. It was also humming with life and energy round the clock due to its strategic placement in the center of the city's entertainment, diplomatic and business hub, Kakei District.

Happiness, currently, was napping in his bed. _Completely exhausted and sound asleep._

The weekend had gone rather blandly for Ayuru. Not that he was complaining : being with the Suzaku no miko had kept his mind in a constant state of activity that he did not enjoy. Not to mention, he was sure that he had exceeded the limit of normal pain killer consumption in a week.

A soft knock on the door announced the arrival of his breakfast. Dragging his eyes away from the view, he turned in time to see Ichiru , the bell boy, bring him his usual morning meal.

"Good morning, Gi-san."

"Good morning. Sorry to make you run errands at such an ungodly hour."

The boy smiled good naturedly at the much older man.

"Well, Aya-san made your breakfast but she refused to bring it up. She says seeing you first thing in the morning brings her bad luck."

Ayuru snickered at that. Ichiru and Aya-san were the only two people he usually dealt with from the hotel staff. Ichiru generally brought up food if he wasn't doing anything else. At eighteen, he was a hard working boy, ready to go to college but was currently taking a gap year in order to earn some extra cash and support his family.

Aya-san, was the head of housekeeping at the hotel. She had worked there all her life and at sixty, she was completely impervious to all the suave charm Ayuru supposedly possessed. She had grown used to him and his insomniac routine over the two years that he had lived there and was completely comfortable with giving him her opinions (on a diverse range of subjects , all of which concerned him) and did not give a damn about how _he_ felt on the matter. Suffice to say, they had a very complicated relationship going.

"Oh and I couldn't get you the morning papers, seeing as its just five in the morning." continued the boy blithely, setting up the low table in front of the T.V as the older man began his usual routine of searching under the sofa cushions for the remote.

"That's fine."

"And uh-" Ichiru hesitated, looking at the blonde cautiously.

Momentarily pausing his search, Ayuru looked up to see the boy shifting nervously on his feet. Obviously, he had a message to relay and he wasn't comfortable with it.

"What is it?" , asked Ayuru patiently, confident that there could be no unpleasant news at the crack of dawn, even for him.

"Well," started the boy, eying the bedroom behind them looking uncomfortable and apologetic, " well, Aya-san says you must take out your own trash before she comes up to do the housekeeping."

Ayuru stared at the boy for half a second before his mouth deepened into a smirk and he reached out to take the cup of coffee that had been prepared for him.

Nodding slightly to the kid he said smirking, " In that case please ask Aya-san to delay coming up here till late afternoon. It's bad manners to wake up sleeping trash and show them the door immediately. I am nothing, if not courteous."

The poor boy could only offer a lopsided smile in return. He admired Gi-san. The Carlton was an exclusive hotel ; a crib of sorts for the rich and the famous. As such, social hierarchy was deeply emphasized within its walls. Most of the guests expected the staff to be invisible but meticulous machines who lived to serve the sole purpose of smoothing out their already smooth lives. Not that he could ever blame Ayuru for being a vociferous and philanthropic ambassador of the working class. In fact, Gi san was a far cry from anything affectionate, friendly or remotely sociable. Yet at the same time, Ichiru admired the older man not only for the aura of quiet authority he possessed, but also for the fact that the stoic blonde man had never belittled anyone , atleast in Ichiru's knowledge. He was courteous to the staff and had, on more than one occasion, inquired after Ichiru's family and the state of his college applications, future plans and so forth.

It had been done in the usual manner the man did everything else : with very little emotion. But, Ichiru, reasoned, it's the thought that counts.

"Enjoy your breakfast, Gi-san." Said the boy, backing his breakfast trolley out of the room.

"Have a good day. Thank you for the meal."

* * *

><p><strong><em>"Miakaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"<em>**

It was a common scene in a dorm room, particularly theirs. A girl with short cropped blonde hair was desperately trying to wake her friend up. The friend in question was, unfortunately, snoring to her heart's content, oblivious to the fact that she had slept through three alarms

"Idontwannagoooo." Came a muffled voice from the pillows.

"Miaka, the research paper is due tomorrow morning. If we don't go now, we won't be able to finish it on time."

Yui's reasoning was drowned out as the petite brunette snuggled deeper into the pillows.

"You leave me _no_ choice." Grinned Yui , cautiously taking the glass of water from the bedside table. …

As the cold water hit her face and neck, Miaka shot up from bed , fluently cursing Yui with different kinds of painful retribution.

She was _not_ a morning person.

* * *

><p><em>"Good Morning."<em>

"Good Afternoon, Emi."

Ayuru looked up from his papers that had been strewn haphazardly across his makeshift work desk in front of the television to see the gorgeous brunette that sashayed into the living room wearing his shirt from last night.

Suzuki Emiko was his co-worker at the firm and also, incidentally, the boss's daughter. With a figure of super model proportions, at thirty Emiko managed to turn heads very easily. Her husband, a well known politician , had a very libertarian outlook of life and his dalliances were a well covered topic for the press. His wife , shared his ideals and thus theirs was, all things considered, a _very _happy marriage, albeit inappropriate. The two children , it seemed, were left in the Lord's good humor.

"You know , it is rather disconcerting to wake up in your bed sans your charming self in it. You are no good at playing host." smiled the beautiful woman at her companion.

Refreshments had arrived a few minutes before she had turned up. Ayuru poured both of them coffee and handed the cup to her before replying.

"My housekeeper, by the way, is allergic to you and wishes you would make yourself scarce before she comes in." smirked Ayuru.

The woman burst into laughter at the statement. It was a very sophisticated, almost musical sound.

"You would think by now she would be used to me." She said, turning her attention to the muffins at hand.

Taking a sip of his coffee, Ayuru replied in the same amused tone, "You would think, by now she would be used to _me_."

His companion shot him an indulgent look from under her half open eyes. Theirs was a relationship of convenience. They sought each other's company to stave off boredom and other feelings both were too proud to voice. Emiko was a social butterfly and she liked meeting new people…..and getting to know them, in the biblical sense of the term..

But that never got in the way of their relationship, if one could call it that.

Ayuru himself liked her personally because she was a strong and independent woman, with a razor sharp wit that matched his own. She did not need a man to coddle her insecurities. She knew what she wanted and was definitely not afraid to go after it.

"So what are your plans for today? You go back tomorrow, correct?", asked Emiko, daintily buttering a scone.

"Don't remind me." Replied Ayuru, running a hand through his hair. Barely thinking of the college campus now gave him headaches. "And I have to go down there today…incomplete paperwork."

"Awwww, " cooed the beautiful brunette at her companion, "That's a pity. But if you'll return early enough I can arrange for dinner and a nice surprise." She winked suggestively at the man sitting across the table.

Ayuru smirked wryly at the proposal. "Why thank you for your generosity. But I don't know when I'll be returning so you better not expect any foreplay."

His blunt answer was met with raucous peals of laughter from the lady. "If it bothers you that much, get someone else to teach there. You could easily do that you know."

" And, what pray, will I tell your father? Please excuse me from the project because I will be too busy _entertaining_ your daughter?"

"I don't know about you but I think that's a very just cause." Replied Emiko, now examining her nails.

"Cheers. But I would rather sit with those juveniles twice a week than break the good news to him."

* * *

><p>The gazebo near the north parking lot was usually a very quiet place. Miaka, by nature, was an extroverted person who reveled in the company of others, but after her last stint in the world of the four Gods, she was surprised to find herself craving solitude at odd hours of the day.<p>

It was nearly five in the evening and the area was quiet except for the few wayward birds here and there.

The topic of the hour was the hazy dream from last night. Yui had woken her up at a very inopportune moment. In retrospect the dream did not make any sense and was probably the fruit of her over worked brain. But at the back of her mind she had that niggling feeling that Suzaku was trying to tell her something.

_Three years later? How random is that…_

* * *

><p>"<em>Your lady left, I assume?"<em>

"_Yes but she will be back later tonight."_

"_One of these days boy, you will regret your actions. What do you think, God does not exist?"_

Ayuru smirked, as the conversation with Aya before he left home, came unbidden in his mind. Did _**he**_ know of God's existence?

But he had kept his thoughts to himself when the stern old lady lectured him on his behavior.

Eto Aya, had worked at the Carlton all her life. Her husband, who had died a while ago, had been a war veteran. Their only son, Aoi, was also in the army. Ayuru had met the boy once. He was a soft spoken, polite fellow, probably twenty-three or twenty-four…

Aoi was a sharp contrast to what Nakago had been, Ayuru was very amused to find out. But in retrospect, perhaps that was a good thing.

His thoughts came to an abrupt halt as he spotted a familiar figure sitting in the gazebo. His car had been parked in the north lot as usual and he wondered why he hadn't spotted her on his way in first. She was sitting in the same spot she had caught him sitting in a few days back.

He decided to leave her to her own thoughts as he strode forwards to get to his car. It was already late and his houseguest was probably waiting.

As if on cue, Miaka suddenly turned around. He wondered if she had sensed her presence. She looked around for a bit before spotting him. Ayuru watched as her eyes narrowed and she returned her attention back to whatever she was doing, without giving him an indication that she had acknowledged his presence.

Now _that_, clearly, was an invitation to say hi…

Smirking to himself, Ayuru turned and made his way over to the former priestess. He was surprised to find her reading a book. The Universe of the Four Gods, to be precise.

" It does not mention ways to kill me ,does it?"

"No, I searched the whole book twice." Quipped the Suzaku no Miko, not bothering to spare him a glance. "Go away." She was still angry at him for the stunt he had pulled at the Hongo's residence. Hell, she was angry at him for the whole evening.

"Thank you, I will humbly accept your invitation to sit down and give you company."

Alarmed, the Suzaku no Miko turned around, to find her arch enemy taking a seat next to her. Really, the man enjoyed annoying her.

"Don't you have somewhere else to be ?" poked the priestess.

Ignoring her question, the man beside her looked pointedly at the book. "May I take a look?"

Sighing to herself, Miaka handed the book over to him. She could understand his fascination with it and right now her mind was too full of things to find the energy to argue.

"Say," said Miaka suddenly as a thought hit her, "would you, re-do everything if given the chance? "

Ayuru stopped flipping through the book to look at her. "No, thank you. Once was more than enough."

She couldn't fathom the veiled look that overshadowed his features. But before she could ask the question to her self , she was distracted by the strange aura that had suddenly enveloped them. She had sort of felt it from the moment Nakago had touched the book but somehow it was more pronounced looked up to find the former Seiryu warrior staring intently at an unfinished phrase on a random page :

_And just as things came to a full circle, the Suzaku no Miko found herself back to where she had begun her journey, confronting old ghosts…._

Miaka had barely finished reading the phrase over Nakago's shoulder when the familiar red glow of the phoenix God surrounded them...

* * *

><p>"Where are we?"<p>

The Suzaku no Miko, sat up on the ground and took a good look at her surroundings.

His companion was lying on the grass and looking up at the evening sky. He hadn't bothered to get up.

At her words, however, he turned his head to look at her. There was a disturbingly polite schoolboy smile pasted on his face, "Where do _you_ think we are?"

The truth finally sunk in as Miaka hugged herself, desperately holding back a sob. She was back in _Konan. _In a forest. With Nakago of all people. And it did not look as if destiny was interested in letting her go back any time soon.

Not again…

"So what, you're going to sleep your way through this?" the Suzaku no Miko asked of her companion who was reclining a few feet away from her.

"You have a better idea?" grunted her unwilling partner.

Miaka shook her head and muttered some choice epithets under her breath before getting up and going over to the unhelpful blonde she was now stuck with.

"Let's get moving. We have to find someway to get back. I am sure we will get some answers at the royal palace. Hopefully there will be someone there who'll recognize me or something." Miaka lectured in a business like tone, pleased with herself for coming up with such a mature course of action.

_"No."_

Miaka gaped at the man sleeping at her feet. He had one hand draped over his eyes and the other serving as a pillow and seemed quite at ease with sleeping at a time like this.

"What do you mean _"no_"? she pursued , in a calm tone which was rapidly losing some of its calmness along with her temper. The last thing she needed was for him to act like the jerk he was.

"Not going. Feel free to send me a post card when you get to the capital."

"And what do _you_ plan to do in the meantime?"

The Suzaku no Miko could barely keep her anger in check and stopped herself from kicking her former arch enemy as he deigned to answer her question but made his intentions very clear by keeping his eyes closed and turning his back to her.

Forget it ! thought Miaka vehemently to herself. She didn't need him anyway. Hell, he was the reason she had problems in the first place. Annoying bastard. Without a backward glance she started walking in a random direction. She needed to find people and then get directions to reach the capital. The rest could be thought out when she got there. _He _could starve to death or get mauled by a wild animal for all she cared.

Truthfully, Ayuru was too tired. It was nobody's fault he had been up for the better part of Saturday night entertaining the boss's was utter bad luck and bad management that he spent the rest of the day working from his apartment and then driving over to the college campus to work some more. And he had woken up at five that morning. He was too tired to even worry about his current predicament and the Suzaku no Miko's hysterics was not helping matters at all.

But he had felt the Suzaku no Miko stomp away from him. The little fool was too naïve if she thought she could make her way out of the forest in one piece. He knew he would have to follow her eventually.

_In another five minutes….or ten…_

* * *

><p><em>Don't cry ! Don't Cry ! Don't cry! <em>

Miaka walked resolutely down the path she had randomly chosen as fear, anger and frustration gripped her heart. She was, to some extent, a bit happy to be back in the place she had missed for the past three years. But that was a _very _little part of her. Anger at whatever deity was responsible for her current state of distress overcame every other emotion. Just imagining the journey she would no doubt have to undertake made her want to shriek in frustration. First she had to reach Konan Palace somehow. She had no money and Tamahome always said she was directionally challenged. Next, what if no one recognized her from her time in the book before? She wondered if Chichiri and Tasuki were still around. How much time had passed since she last was here? Was the Empress still alive? And Boushin? And where in the whole wide land was the old hag? Now was generally her cue to pop and give Miaka her bad news of the day. Overseer or not, Taiitsukun was in for an earful if she was waiting for Miaka to show up at her Godforsaken palace atop Mt. Taikyoku-

"Hello there ! Got any money on you, sweetheart?"

_Great! Just Great !_

Turning around she saw two bandits leering at her. She wasn't all that surprised to see them actually. Bad luck followed her around like a lovesick puppy every time she had set foot in the book of the four Gods. But at least this time she was prepared.

Her last adventure in the book had taught her more about her weaknesses and at Taka's insistence, Yui and her had enrolled in preliminary defense classes in their senior year. Yui had dragged Tetsuya along, much to the latter's chagrin.

_Well anyway…_

"I am sorry but I don't have any money on me. Could you please give me directions to get to the capital? This is Konan, isn't it?"

"Yes-err. HEY ! Empty your pockets before I drive a knife through your heart, miss !" The bandits were hardly older than her and by the looks of it , not very good at their trade. The taller one looked almost disconcerted and let-down when she had informed them of her broke status. The smaller , perkier one, obviously the brains of this group, had all the enthusiasm of a fresh recruit and he definitely was not going to give up without a fight.

"What's taking you so long, lady?", piped up perky pants, wiggling his dagger at Miaka in a threatening way.

Biting her tongue, Miaka slowly pulled out the pockets of her capris to show the contents: bubblegum wrapper and a shiny elastic hairband.

"Let her go!" called out the taller man. Either he was really tired after a long day of successful hard work or else he really sucked at being a bandit.

The smaller man seemed to muddle over his options before a lazy smirk swept up in his face. Miaka knew that smirk. She had been in the receiving end of that smirk enough time to know what it usually meant.

"Take off your clothes."

"Make me." Steeling herself, Miaka looked squarely at her opponent, waiting for him to make his move.

Which he did, soon enough. Grinning wickedly, the man stepped closer, with his dagger raised up.

"Daichi-"

"Shut up!"

Daichi turned his head to glare at his partner and that was enough distraction Miaka needed.

Two seconds later, Daichi was on the ground, wriggling and whimpering in abject pain. He had just received a very swift and painful kick to his groin.

Releasing a long breath of relief, the former priestess of Suzaku stepped aside from the body of the prone man at her feet. She had a mad urge to grin and whoop over her victory but that could be postponed for a bit.

Reschooling her features into an aggressive sneer, she turned to the taller man. He really was no good at his job. Any other person would have been furious at her treatment of his friend but he was content with shoving his hands in his pockets and eyeing her warily.

"Okay, give me the shiny things you had in your pants and I will let you-"

The next few seconds were a blur. Miaka looked in shock as a solid ray of blue light hit the man squarely in the chest from somewhere behind her right ear. He fell to the ground instantly, a lifeless heap.

Her suspicions were confirmed as Nakago emerged from the clearance, looking bored , as the symbol of Kokoro blazed brightly on his forehead.

The Suzaku no Miko sucked in a sharp breath at that. His powers were back .Could things get any worse !

Coming to her, Ayuru raised an eyebrow at the priestess's shell shocked expression.

"What, no 'thank you'?" he smirked wryly at the petite woman. He had been correct in assuming that the miko would get into the trouble before he could finish counting till ten.

Therefore, he had given the priestess a bare few minutes of headstart before following her at a languid pace. He had heard voices ahead and walking a few steps furthered, had encountered the priestess being cornered by the ruffians.

Lounging casually against a tree bark he had waited to see what she would do. He was feeling quite at ease, his powers having miraculously restored. The former warrior couldn't hear any of them clearly, except on ocassions when the smaller guy raised his voice at her. He was impressed when she took down her first opponent, although her method of action did cause him to flinch involuntarily. After that, when the other bandit had stepped to her and began talking, while his other hand was inching towards his belt, clearly not about to retrieve a flower, it was then that he decided to act.

"Why did you kill him ?" she asked , in a deceptively calm voice, " He was about to let me go."

Ayuru said nothing at that. " Explaining will not revive him. Move, you don't want to attract any further attention."

His callous and unrepentant behavior only served to aggravate her further. He had only been in this world for ten minutes and already he was reverting back to his old , abominable self.

Suddenly her face crumpled as realization hit her. This was Nakago. A snake could shed its skin ten times in a year but it wouldn't be any less venomous. And regardless of how suave and charming he may have appeared in her world, this was who he was inherently. A heartless bastard. And she was having this epiphany only because she had been foolish enough to hope that he had changed.

"I hate you." She said slowly, backing away from him. "I hate you." She was shaking her head. " **You **are a heartless, evil bastard !"

Suddenly something inside of the former Seiryu warrior snapped. He stood there facing her coldly for half a second, smirking only when she took an uncertain step back and hit he tree behind her.

"Let's get a few things straightened out here, shall we? I am not one of your seishi so please think twice before opening your mouth next time. We will get to the capital together, not because I am exceedingly fond of your company, _but_ because you, being the poster girl for Suzaku, stand a greater chance of getting help from the authorities than me. In the meanwhile we will be civil to each other and you will try not to force your impractical sense of ethics on me. Questions on that?"

Although he hadn't actually said anything offensive, Nakago's icy demeanor and arctic cold voice was enough to make anyone feel awful. Miaka glared back at the tall man towering over her, refusing to let him or his words daunt her. His words had hit her like a barrage of rocks but she refused to examine them for fear of her own composure. Was it just her or did his mood worsen considerably right after they had entered the book…

The next hour passed in awkward silence as Miaka walked slowly behind her former arch nemesis, mentally grumbling about his Wile E. coyote like pace. The thought elicited a snort from the Suzaku no Miko . He was a coyote all right, and a very snarky one at that. After his lecture in the forest , he had turned south, started walking and had not even looked back once to check up on her. She could easily have taken a detour and he would have never found out_. Well, him being him, he would have found out….. _

That was not the point.

By the time they reached Sacred Heart village, the sky had turned pitch black with not a single star in sight. Miaka waited for Nakago to talk about staying the night somewhere like any other sensible person but the blonde had shown no signs of stopping thus far.

_Oh to hell with pride.._

"We need to check in at an inn or someplace."

"Do you think they take _visa_ or _mastercard_?"

"What?"

"Keep walking."

Miaka blinked a few times in surprise before silently cursing her reticent tour guide. She wanted to yell at him for being as callous as he was but at the same time she had no intention of repeating the last heart-to-heart they had had.

But she did the next best thing that came to mind. She walked over to the nearest tree that was just standing by the road, and smartly plopped on the ground. She would get up when she was well rested. He was not one of her seishi that she could ask him to be considerate, but neither was she one of Seiryu's mindless puppets who did whatever their leader told them to do. A soft giggle escaped her as she imagined how the Seiryu seishi would react when he would finally notice her absence.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello it's me xDD :<strong>

Well we are finally here. Now I have to cook up a catastrophe =D this chapter was wayyy full of fillers =-=

So, how does everyone like it so far?

Questions, comments , reviews? Please? No? Oh c'mon ! xD

angelrei : hahaha xDDDDD How very true =D

BloodColoredRose : Thank you for reviewing =D I hope you'll like this chapter too :)

pinay-of-series : LOL glad u enjoyed ^_^ and new names, I know wat you mean, but I'll add more about the names and circumstances of characters later so that it seems more believable

megumisakura : there I updated , hope u like :)

Well tata till the next chapter. Don't forget to review =)


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter V : Bed, Breakfast and Beyond**

It was around noon on a gorgeous sunny day but the scorching heat of the sun had done nothing thus far to ease the tension between the odd pair trudging through the forest in the borders of Konan in conspicuous silence.

"_Get up."_

"_No."_

"_You do realize, after we make it back, you are getting an F in my subject?"_

"_Heard of a withdrawal?"_

"_Much as I would like to skewer you alive for your utter absence of brains, logic or any other good qualities for that matter, my dear Suzaku no Miko,I find myself sacrificing my sincerest wishes for the sake of our greater good. Therefore, I request you , with all due humbleness , to listen to reason and stop behaving like a petulant child."_

"_Much as I would like to cooperate, my dear Seiryu Seishi Jackass-sama, I find myself prone to such bitchy behavior in your vicinity and therefore with all due respect and humbleness, I request you to drop dead!"_

"_So,you are not going to get up no matter what?"_

"_No."_

"_What good will we accomplish sitting under this tree all night? Don't you want to go home at all?"_

"_At the moment, I couldn't care less."_

"_Have it your way then."_

"_PUT ME DOWN this instant or else!"_

"_Make me."_

"_I hate you!"_

"_Oh Suzaku no Miko, you hurt me."_

"_Well I guess I should be thankful there are no tents in sight for you to indulge in your pedophilia fetish."_

For some reason, the effect was instantaneous; he set her down then without a backward glance, had resumed his walking.

Miaka had followed uncertainly in his wake, unable to decide what the magic word had been : tent or pedophilia….or possibly both….

Well anyway that was one very forgettable conversation from last night and the ice hadn't broken ever since. Victory was, unfortunately, bittersweet.

They had walked another few miles in utter silence before Ayuru had deigned to take them to an inn which Miaka guessed was somewhere in the outskirts of the capital city.

The inn had been another alarming episode for her as she followed her Economics Professor straight into the inn keeper's private room. The conversation had been very brief.

"_We need two separate rooms for the night."_

"_That would be forty five coins sir. Although, with the concession which I can give you, it will only be forty coins and free breakfast as well."_

"_Is your life more expensive than that?"_

The inn keeper had gulped and looked up from the accounts book he had been working on before the ice king showed up.

The kokoro symbol was flashing brilliantly on the forehead of his guest.

"_The rooms are upstairs , third and fourth from the right , sir. Please stay as long as you want. Breakfast is on us sir. Please enjoy your stay."_

"_Thank you."_

After the keys had been handed to them, they both made their way upstairs. Ayuru had opened her door for her and tossed the keys on the bed and had then entered his own room. Obviously, he wasn't the chatty type.

Miaka had slept lightly the entire night. She was half afraid the former shogun would leave her by herself in the inn if she slept in later than him. With his current foul mood, it wouldn't be that much of a far-fetched possibility.

She had bolted from her room at the crack of dawn to find that her arch nemesis's door was firmly locked. She had gone downstairs to see if he was probably up and about as well, only to find very few people , namely the inn keeper, his wife and two other stout young men, who might have been family, working sleepily about the floor, getting ready for the day ahead.

They had informed her that her companion hadn't come downstairs at all and had offered her food, which she had happily accepted. As the shock of being transported back to the book, that too with Nakago of all people for a companion, had sunk in, her appetite had returned in full source.

By the time he had come down, nearly two hours later, she was almost hungry again.

Ayuru had woken up much later than he was used to. But seeing as there was no office to go to in this world, the thought did not bother him much. And he was not looking forward to meeting the annoying brat of a Miko just yet.

Suffice to say he had taken his sweet time before going downstairs to look for food and was surprised to see the Miko already sitting at a table, looking anxious.

A closer inspection of her features had revealed that she, unlike him, hadn't slept well the previous night. Her face looked agitated and tensed and her back had gone ramrod straight the moment their eyes had met.

Ayuru had smirked to himself after seeing the Miko in such a state. He knew exactly what had been brought about the worries and he wasn't feeling sorry at all.

Thank God the brat was still afraid of _something _and he was not above milking that to his advantage. Seating himself across from her at the table, he nodded a cool good morning at her direction before turning his attention on the unfortunate inn keeper who had lost all his morning chirpiness the moment Ayuru had walked into the room.

Miaka cast a furtive glance at the stoic profile of the man before her. His face was a blank mask and it showed no signs of any displeasure he might have felt from the previous night. In fact, the courteous greeting that he had acknowledged her with made her doubt if he remembered the whole incident at all.

The timid innkeeper approached the odd pair sitting at the farthest table with great apprehension. Indeed they were very odd, and the tall man with the foreign features had a nasty temper, which he could vouch for first hand. He wondered what his relationship with the young girl at his side was. He could see the girl wasn't all that thrilled to be with him. And they had asked for two separate rooms. The only sensible answer he could come up with was that they were a married couple who were fighting with each other at the moment. Being a married man himself, he wasn't unaware of the tradition of sleeping outside the bedroom on occasions when he and the wife argued.

"So I trust, the happy couple slept well?" squeaked the inn keeper, inanely wondering how to proceed.

_Couple? ME and HIM?HIM and ME? What are you, INSANE?_ Miaka's inner voice wanted to scream at the inn keeper but stopped short when she remembered how unstable her own standing with the impassive blonde was at the moment.

Ayuru looked at the poor innkeeper seriously in the eye before replying with a straight face, "Allow me to introduce my step daughter from my second wife's third marriage."

The inn keeper's face blanched at this strange declaration and he did not know how to respond to that.

Miaka herself, stifled a horrified giggle at the ridiculous explanation and cast a bewildered look at the impassive stoic face of her companion who was undoubtedly enjoying behind his smooth façade of complete indifference.

"I…I see." Offered the inn keeper a bit lamely, "Are you err….sightseeing?"

"No, her mother and I are fed up with her so I am going to disown her and get a pet cat instead. I am very hungry, may I get something to eat?"

* * *

><p>They had left the inn at around mid day, loaded with supplies and a horse that the innkeeper had very generously (Miaka had her doubts) supplied. Whilst traveling together on the horse might have been the most expedient route to take, it was also the most unthinkable option for both parties. They used the horse to carry their supplies for them instead. The capital city of Eiyou was still half a day's journey from the inn ( as they had been informed by the inn keeper). Their party of three made the most of the journey in silence, each wrapped in their own thoughts. (Except for the horse, poor beast, who was wrapped in baggage, most of which was extra food Miaka had absolutely insisted on taking.) This time they halted at regular intervals and just as the sun sank below the faraway hills, the first part of their future journey within the book came to and end. They had reached Eiyou.<p>

From the borders it hardly took time at all for them to reach the palace. As soon as Miaka had set foot in the capital, word spread around like wild fire as people rushed to see the priestess who had returned from the future once again to protect their land.

When the paraphernalia for Suzaku's chosen priestess had died down a bit, they accepted a ride upon a horse drawn cart from one of the villagers who happily agreed to escort them to the royal palace.

Even the palace guards all tripped over themselves to accommodate the priestess and the stranger she had brought along with her from her world.

Ayuru remained a silent spectator through out. It might have been a pleasant walk down memory lane for Miaka but for him this was distinctly uncomfortable. And unwelcome.

The royal aides had all greeted the priestess of Konan with the same love and reverence they had bestowed on her during her first time in the book. Miaka marveled to herself at how much things had managed to stay unchanged. She had tried, throughout the journey, to not let memories cloud her mind. Thus far, it had been a moderately successful attempt. But still, to be in Hotohori's palace without seeing his familiar face and those of the others brought a painful lump in her throat as her eyes began tearing up at last. Had it not been for the fact that she didn't want to give her arch nemesis the satisfaction of seeing her in tears, she would have been a gone case two hours ago.

But even the thought of besting her former arch nemesis could not stop the tears that flowed freely as soon as Houki , the dowager Empress of Konan, entered the room. The two woman ran to each other and embraced like they were long lost sisters. No words were needed. There was nothing left to say.

Fortunately, while all this happened, no one paid any attention to the otherwise conspicuous blonde man standing in a corner ,deeply engrossed in admiring the royal curtains.

* * *

><p>Dinner had been a jolly affair with the Suzaku no miko (who apparently could talk her mouth off when company suited her) giving Houki and the rest updates about the reincarnated seishi, Tamahome, their world, Tamahome, her new college, Tamahome, her possible scope of internship at x company ( which no one understood or cared about),Tamahome, Yui, their cranky unmarried neighbor, Tamahome…<p>

The dowager Empress' eyes sparkled each time the former Emperor turned businesman's name was mentioned although she deigned to ask more personal questions in front of the royal advisors who were hanging onto the priestess's every word as though for life.

Before long, Ayuru had excused himself citing tiredness and exhaustion. The others readily bid him good night expressed the hope that the Suzaku no Miko's honored friend would find this an extremely pleasant 'first-time' trip to their world.

Ayuru smiled dryly at the irony and said nothing as he headed towards his designated bedroom, looking forward to a comfortable night of unhindered sleep.

* * *

><p>Two hours later after trying unsuccessfully to bring about said unhindered sleep, he gave up and opted to walk about the palace grounds instead. He was an habitual insomniac and this was nothing new.<p>

After a few minutes of walking around aimlessly searching for a suitable spot to think things out, he settled on a relatively deserted looking balcony overlooking a beautiful traditional Japanese garden.

His thoughts were interrupted as a soft sound ,much like a half-hearted sob, pierced the silent atmosphere of the half raised himself from the balcony he was leaning over to look around. There was not a single soul in sight. A few soldiers were surely posted at corridors but most of them were certainly dozing off by now. Shrugging the thought off, his brows furrowed in concentration as he lowered his elbows once again to lean on the railings. The idyllic existence in the palace was beginning to grate on his nerves even though they had hardly spent a day there. It was very unusual. Nothing was wrong anywhere apparently. But then, in that case, why were they stuck here all of a sudden? They needed to find the overseer Taaitsukun, if they wanted was also the unsavory prospect of having to deal with the priestess and drag her from the palace in search of Mt. Taikyoku. He silently acknowledged his luck that his temper had persevered …well somewhat…and he still had agreed to accompany the priestess. Because despite his powers, Ayuru had a feeling hell would freeze twice over before anyone deemed him worthy of setting foot in the holy mountains. Not that he cared particularly.

His thoughts were once again interrupted as he heard the soft voice a second time, this time followed by a slight scuffling noise. Getting up, he put his hands in his pockets as slowly walked along the corridor looking for the source of the noise.

Turning at the corner, he soon spotted the possible cause of problem. The third door to his left was left wide open and standing guard next to it was a soldier, deep in sleep. Nakago, the shogun, would not have wasted any time in waking the soldier up and giving them a severe chastisement and/or a death threat. Ayuru , the businessman thought this was none of his business.

The cry was much louder this time and Ayuru correctly located the source as emanating from somewhere within the manicured royal gardens. Although, having heard it clearer this time, it sounded more like a call than a cry.

He slowly turned right, descending down the steps and walking into the palace grounds. He was in no mood to help any damsel-in-distress at the moment but if anyone was planning to end their lives by jumping into the royal koi pond in the middle of the night, he supposed stopping them was the least he could do to save the poor fishes.

The surface of the pond glistened like a diamond in the moon light, its beauty only marred by the slight ripples created by the sparkly koi fishes within. But sitting very close to the edge of the water was a sight he was not prepared to greet. On the ground, amidst the decorative boulders was a small boy wearing expensive robes, hardly two years old, patting his hand repeatedly on the ground in impatience. The sight amused and unnerved him at the same time. The kid could have gotten killed multiple times thanks to the worthless guards.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Ayuru enquired of the small bundle at his knee, searching in his mind for any remote bit of information which suggested two year olds were capable of legible speech.

The child stopped his actions for a second to take a good look at the newcomer, his amber eyes filled with child-like curiosity….before resuming his task of smoothing the ground with his bare hand.

"What is your name?"

Again silence.

Well that was the confirmatory test, thought Ayuru to himself, as he picked up the heir apparent of Konan by the scruff of his neck before tucking him in the crook of his arm and heading back. Or at least that was the plan till his royal babyness interfered.

It was very easy to see this was Saihitei's child, he showed the same familiar streak of hardheaded stubbornness. As soon as he was picked up, the child began bawling loudly at the top of his lungs, so much so that Ayuru was surprised the guards didn't turn up even then. The bawling stopped as soon as he was put back down however, earning a smirk from the defeated party. The child spared him a watery look of undisguised accusation and a frown before resuming his task of patting and calling at the fishes. Shaking his head in resignation, Ayuru crouched to the child's level to see what he was looking at.

Sitting in the bed of the pond, partially hidden between a clump of weeds, was a very wet toy bear. Obviously, _someone_ had thrown it there and now wanted it back.

Ayuru flicked his hand in a motion that had been so familiar to him in the past. Levitating things had been something he had truly enjoyed in the past when he had first learnt of his abilities. Although, levitation wasn't half as fun as incinerating people with sudden spheres of energy, he thought morbidly. Seconds ticked away but the toy stayed where it was, stuck in the bedrock. The scene puzzled the former Seiryu warrior. Had his powers dissipated or something? That was definitely strange. He may have been tired but he wasn't so tired that he couldn't use his chi on a weightless toy bear. Flicking his hand again, Ayuru waited for the familiar feeling of chi nimbly flowing through his veins. The sensation of summoning one's chi into one's fingertips was something akin to putting your hand inside a refrigerator or else sticking it too near a camp fire, depending on the temperament of the person manipulating the chi. For the former shogun, it had always been a pleasant icy experience which turned mildly warm only at times when he was too worked up.

After several seconds of futile efforts, Ayuru had to give up although he stored the event in his mind for later analysis. He would be very little help to himself or to the priestess if his powers abruptly appeared and vanished at their own sweet will. In fact, without his powers, they were little more than walking bait to any aspiring source of trouble.

Rolling up his shirtsleeves to his elbows, Ayuru gently crouched over the edge, grimacing at the prospect of getting his clothes wet so he could rescue the royal teddy bear.

Severe pain shot through his stomach as soon as he reached over to touch the object. He was certain a jet of water had just pierced through his small intestine.

To compound to the problem, he realized he had walked into a trap. His whole body became paralyzed as he slowly crashed into the chilly waters of the koi pond.

"_Hisashiburi dana, Ayuru-kun. How have you been?"_

He knew that voice. He had served that voice in his past life. The voice that had given him a fountain of energy to sustain his hatred through all those years of his past voice that had always signaled pain, loss and defeat for him each time he had heard it. He knew it all too well, ..

"Tenkou."

The voice in his mind chucked pleasantly.

"_My, My, How the mighty have fallen. Fishing out toys for your enemy's son. Does he know you killed his father? Or do you think this is a penance?"_

Ayuru silently concentrated towards the surface of the pond. The pond itself wasn't very deep but seeing as he was unable to move and completely under water, all he could do was calm himself as the voice in his head steadily goaded him. This was no illusion, and if he didn't find a way to extricate himself from this mess, Tenkou wouldn't need to torture him, he would probably suffocate to death on his own.

"_Still so arrogant" _the voice tsk-ed, as if reprimanding a child_, "you would do well to bend you neck a little when it happens to be on the line,…like say..__**now**__…."_

White hot pain shot through his right shoulder as soon as the voice stopped. Another jet of water had shot through his neck leaving a gaping bullet hole behind. Ayuru felt almost detached from his body as the redness of his blood spread into the waters of pond, somehow making the fishes more restless.

Reigning in his anger at his current state of complete helplessness, Ayuru strove to refocus his chi enough to give him the boost that he needed to get out of the strange body binding spell that had been placed on him. His lungs, after all, could not hold on forever.

"_Get the boy Hiko, I think our friend needs a little more persuasion."_

"_Certainly, My Lord."_

A second voice joined the first. Ayuru frowned in concentration as he hadn't sensed anything at all when he had blithely walked into the garden but now a malicious aura was teeming in the air, vibrating so much that even a novice would have felt that something very evil was nearby.

There was a small splash and Ayuru caught a glimpse of the rich green robe he had seen earlier…

_Of course. _

If there was one thing in this whole wide world that he hated absolutely, unconditionally and in every life, it was this. Intense anger surged through his veins as he watched the small body twist and turn inside the water, flailing his limbs around desperately. Anger, so strong, so raw, that it almost hurt to breathe.

The symbol of the heart finally glowed on his forehead, with an intensity that illuminated the whole pond. Free of the psychic bond at last, Ayuru dove towards the small figure whose movements had lessened considerably meanwhile. As soon as he had Boushin firmly in his grasp, Ayuru levitated both of them out of the water.

The second they were both out of the water, the aura had vanished leaving behind an inconspicuous night. The surroundings seemed just as peaceful and idyllic as they had been before. Had it not been for the fact that both of their clothes were wet and Ayuru had two holes on his body from which blood was seeping out freely, he would have almost been convinced that the encounter with Tenkou two seconds ago had been a product of his own overactive mind.

The child felt warm and light in his arms even though his clothes were thoroughly soaked. His heart stopped with dread as he carefully lifted the child and raised him to eye level to take a better look.

Warm honey colored eyes fluttered open and blinked rapidly as the owner of said eyes trembled with cold.

As his little body shook involuntarily , Boushin threw a watery confused smile at the much older man, wondering why he was being held at such an awkward angle.

The child's smile made him inwardly sigh in relief. If anything had happened to the kid in his presence, he was sure neither Miaka nor Hotohori (if they ever met again) would let him live in peace for the remainder of his days. That is to say, if they didn't try and murder him first.

Exhaling tiredly , the former shogun of Kutoh dragged himself to sit under the nearest tree, child in tow. But it had been less than a minute before his peace was interrupted for the third time that night.

"_**Boushin!"**_

Ayuru looked up to find the Empress of Konan looking at them with an expression that could be mildly described as panic-stricken. Her eyes had already begun watering up as she took a good look at her son and the person who had been holding him in his arms. If the blood soaked shirt of her guest and the wet clothes on her own child, coupled with the nasty nightmare that she had woken up from two minutes ago which had made her run to her son's room to check on him, were any indications…

Trying and failing to keep her emotions in check, Houki ran to the odd pair sitting under the wisteria tree. Ayuru looked at her silently as she picked up her son and began kissing every inch of his entire face, all the while laughing and crying simultaneously like a hysterical woman. He said nothing, a mother's love for a child was another thing he was very familiar with even though he condemned every kind of love in general stating that emotions of any kind were nothing but weaknesses.

"How…?What…", started Houki uncertainly, her eyes fearful and worried.

"I don't know." replied Ayuru honestly, closing his eyes in exhaustion and leaning back on the tree. " It was Tenkoh. It looks like he was…is…on another plan to conquer the world and all that.."

"Who?", implored Houki, shaking her head. Tears were threatening to come out but she steadied herself.

Ayuru looked up at the bewildered woman standing in front of him. He had no idea what to tell her without making her more worried than she already was.

"Someone, from the…err…past", he ventured, unsure of what to say next, " he…wanted to overthrow Taaitsukun at one point to ..well, become a God."

_Much like myself actually…_

"Oh!" came the response. Ayuru had closed his eyes again as it was getting harder by the second to keep them open. He had used up too much of his energy trying to fight Tenkou's influence and additionally his powers were very rusty and this time, there was no Soi ..

But despite his closed eyes, Ayuru did not need to look at the sad woman's face or hear her broken voice as he saw her spirit crumbling with her next words. "Thank you…so much, for protecting my boy," she said, " My husband is dead and I don't know what I would have done if I had lost my little boy too." After that she broke down plaintively.

Ayuru raised his heavy eyes to see the woman, the empress standing in front of him, clutching her son in a tight embrace as the tears flowed freely down her pale face.

During the war, he had had very little interest in the Emperor of Konan or the state of his personal affairs. He had had no inkling that the Emperor had left his palace to protect his subjects that fateful day with the high hopes of greeting his new born child on his return. The shogun had no idea that there had been an expectant young wife waiting patiently for the man he had killed so nonchalantly. He had no idea then, that by killing Saihitei on the battlefield, he had also unwittingly sealed the fate of a baby who hadn't even set foot in the world then.

Nakago, the powerful Shogun of Kutoh had never known his own father till it was too late. He had hated the Gods for their cruelty, for giving him the fate he had. He had taken pride in his anger and had derived strength from it and had considered himself better off than divinity.

But here was proof….. He himself had been no better. He had given another child the same fate he had despised and blamed the Gods for, his entire life…

Neither in this life, nor in the one before, had he been an idealist. He was always aware that anyone who came to the battlefield was somebody's father, somebody's son, somebody's husband. He , in his lifetime as Shogun, had perhaps sundered thousands of families in his quest for revenge and had always found a way to justify his actions. But it was hard to ignore when one of those hitherto unknown family members chanced upon him, looking at him with the same accusing eyes he had scorned the Gods with…

Houki was still not done kissing her son and the child was beginning to protest.

"You should change his clothes, he might catch a cold otherwise." Ayuru commented dryly at the concerned mother. She looked too young to be a widow.

"Yes." The empress had startling green eyes which somehow looked even beautiful despite being tear brimmed and reddened. It was perhaps the love and passion for her son that shone through her face, which made it even more radiantly beautiful. And kind.

As the dowager empress turned to take her son back to his rooms, Ayuru got up as well.

" Oh, I am so sorry, but you probably need help as well," she turned suddenly, looking up at the blonde man who had been about to follow her back to the palace. Now that Boushin was dozing peacefully safe in her arms, she felt awkward and embarrassed at having offered her son's savior no medication or atleast a physician as the red hue in his shirt steadily darkened.

Ayuru shrugged noncommittally at that. "That's all right. I can take care of this myself, if you could provide me with some clean gauze and lukewarm water."

"Yes Of course!", nodded Houki before they both silently walked back towards the main courtyard. It had been a trying night for both of them.

Ayuru let his thoughts drift back to the events at the pond. _Who was this Hiko? _He sifted through past memories of his association with Tenkou but still came to nothing. He noted with some degree of surprise that Hiko was, all things considered the first minion Tenkou had held or possessed whose powers were nearly at par with Tenkou himself. The information surprised him because he knew Tenkou was not the type of personality who shared anything. He loved to lord over his minions and spared none that came in his way. For Tenkou to associate himself, with another….demon?

"Sai !"

A high pitched voice shrieked in front of him, effectively dragging him out of his reverie. Looking up from the ground, he realized that he had been so deeply engrossed in thoughts before he didn't even realize where his feet had taken him. He had followed Houki and her son right to Boushin's nursery.

"Sai, Sai !" , the little boy repeated from his mother's arm, at the stranger who had been accompanying them. His round eyes were aglow with laughter and the color had returned to his cheeks with fervor.

Confused, Ayuru looked up to find Houki smiling sheepishly back at him.

"That's all of 'Oyasumi Nasai' that he can manage for now," she smiled at him, hugging her son tighter to her chest.

The news brought a reluctant smirk to Ayuru's countenance. So he did speak after all.

"Oyasumi Nasai," he intoned seriously,his expression grave, inclining his head towards the little lord, " Heika-sama."

Bidding Houki good night as well, he turned to go to his room to finally take a look at his wounds when the Dowager Empress' voice stopped him.

"Arigatoh, for everything, ..…Nakago-san." the sweet sincere voice said plainly.

Turning around he found the young woman looking at him with a sad half smile. He had underestimated the widow empress of Konan. At first glance, she was a beautiful lady, albeit a tad bit too delicate and feminine and, as Ayuru had summed up during her emotional breakdown at the pond, weak-willed. But now before him stood the ruler of a nation, wise beyond her years. And her eyes, which had just appeared attractive to him before, held wisdom and strength. She was a mother who cried for her child, a wife who terribly missed her husband, and yet also a ruler to her nation, a strong individual who had locked away her heart for all these years so she could serve her husband's subjects better.

Suddenly he was at a complete loss for a reply. But somehow he knew how she felt. Her face was as plain as a newspaper. She wasn't unconditionally forgiving him for everything he had done, but she had given him he needed more at the moment : Acceptance.

He watched as the empress bowed to him respectfully before leaving him to himself for the night.

* * *

><p>"OH MY GOD! Do you REALIZE what you have done?"<p>

As per his request, the palace servants had supplied water, gauze and a herbal medication as soon as he had stepped into his own was almost done wrapping the second bandage in his neck when the annoyingly familiar and gleeful voice of Suzaku's chosen priestess squealed at him from the doorway.

He silently arched an eyebrow at her.

Not put off in the slightest bit due to his icyness, Miaka bounded into the room.

"Did you get hit in the head somewhere? Should we have you examined? I can't believe you actually did a good deed. You must be turning over a new leaf." She was mocking him but her voice held no malice. In fact, Miaka had ran to meet him the moment Houki had confided the events of the night to her. Houki had also mentioned the name of Tenkou but had been unable to provide any additional information on the topic. Truthfully, that he had saved Boushin didn't surprise her much. He was never that much of a heartless bastard, she surmised. Not that she was ever going to let him find out that her opinion of him had improved even a tiny bit. Or that she was at all concerned over his well being. Pigs would fly before that happened.

Instead of replying in a straightforward manner he chose to mimick her instead. "Oh my God,I can't believe _you_ ran all the way here to check on my well fare. You must love me too much," he monotoned with a perfectly straight face.

The effect was instantaneous. All traces of laughter vanished from the priestess's countenance as she regarded him with the most sarcastic and venomous glare she could muster. "Whatever gave you that delusion? I was only glad you saved Boushin and I came here to thank you. Don't daydream about things that are far beyond your reach."

Yup, she was angry. Bingo.

He looked at her pointedly, "Oh that is your way of thanking people? Sorry, had I known I would have been more generous," he smirked at her, " don't be disheartened, it was an extremely sincere attempt, I'm sure. Now run along and fetch me a glass of water."

Seriously, if anyone deserved to be canonized for being the most irritating lowlife to ever walk on the planet, it had to be him.

"Fetch your water yourself, I am not your servant." she said glaring wrathfully at her arch nemesis.

The former general's smirk widened as his guest's ire grew.

"Oh come now, I saved your precious friend's extremely precious son _AND_ the royal teddy bear. Getting me a glass of water is the least of what you could do." He left the sentence hanging between them.

"Hey that's my teddy bear !" she remembered, grinning despite herself. She was glad Boushin had her bear with now. It warmed her heart.

Ayuru raised an eye at her in surprise. He found it extremely difficult to understand how she managed to get angry at him in no time and then dissipate her anger with equal readiness within a matter of seconds. He suspected pregnant and extremely hormonal females probably had more control over their mood swings than she did.

Miaka stepped inside and closed the door after her. Perhaps it was unconsciously done, but Ayuru smirked to himself as he imagined how she would react when she noticed what she had done herself : locked herself in with the arch nemesis, wearing a _very_ appealing light peachy kimono that complimented her skin tone perfectly and did a lot of defining…

_What the __**hell**__ are you thinking?_ A very sarcastic voice, generously laced with disdain and sounding remarkably like Emiko commented in his head.

Stopping his train of thoughts, he chose to question her instead. "I beg your pardon?"

"The teddy bear," continued Miaka blithely, "I gave it to Hotohori a long time back." Miaka smiled to herself recalling memories of a happier time.

"Your bear, huh?" Ayuru commented lightly, "I just knew it. You are somehow, _always_ the root of my problems!"

That earned him a laughing look of disbelief from the accused. "Oh really?"

Despite his better judgments telling him to not push her buttons so soon again, Ayuru smirked as he stalked over the lady in peach and casually rested his hand on the door, somewhere over her head.

"Really ! Why is it that every time, in every life, something goes wrong, you are inevitably at the bottom of it? I used to have a reasonably average life before I laid eyes on you." his voice sounded very serious and even though his face held all the emotions found in a block of wood, his eyes were twinkling a curious sapphire blue, "You should be sued for compensation, miko-chan."

Miaka lifted her expressive wide hazel eyes at the person who was currently towering over her. Any kind of proximity with him always resulted in a sudden lack of brain function for her and the symptoms had intensified during the last few days they had spent together. This time was no different.

_And why the hell was he not wearing his shirt!_

He was close, much too close….a sudden picture of Tamahome smiling drifted slowly through her mind as her eyes drifted involuntarily towards his perfectly sculpted, _pink_ lips…

The realization tore a throaty, derisive giggle from her, effectively clearing her mind.

Ayuru had been entertaining himself by watching the drama unfold on the face of the Suzaku no Miko. But her sudden mad giggle caught him off guard.

_Not to mention you are standing too close to a bloody college kid._

"What's so funny?"

The Suzaku no Miko looked at him trying hard to conceal her laughter. He could see that her left hand was furtively inching towards the door knob as if she wanted to run out of the room any minute but he was far too curious about what she had to say to comment on that.

"You have _very_ pretty lips!"

The door slid open and then shut like lightning leaving a very bemused Ayuru staring at the vacant space the Suzaku no Miko had been standing in, a minute ago.

Dear Gods, he was stuck in the past with a mentally unstable and definitely hormonal teenager. What had he _ever_ done to deserve such cruelty…

* * *

><p>Hello ! XD -whew another chapter over and I am very happy to say I actually have a logical plot…sort of.. XD<p>

How has every one been? :D

So, what do you guys think of this chapter? :D *expectant puppy eyes*

Does Nakago seem a bit ooc in this chapter? Does Miaka seem to ditzy? Let me know .

Also, my Japanese is pitiful. So if you find errors in the couple of dialogs that I put up, gomen ne .

Well anyway :D Finals are here! Good luck every one. I cant wait for this semester to be over -.-*

In the meantime, review please? ;)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter VI : You, Me and Shakespeare**

True to his memories, a day in a royal palace was like clockwork. Breakfast had been served for the Empress and her guests as soon as his Rolex watch had struck eight. Needless to say, the Suzaku no miko had made the most of it. The Empress had been accompanied by her son as well as the prime minister of Konan, Lord Haku . Also in attendance, were ladies of the royal seraglio.

Much to everybody's surprise, the crown prince seemed very comfortable...too comfortable, with the mysterious visitor accompanying the Suzaku no miko. In fact, Boushin had made a bee line for the stoic former Seiryu warrior as soon as he had been brought inside the room. Houki noticed the situation with a light smile hovering in her lips and chose not to comment on the matter as her son blithely went up to his savior from the night before and made himself very comfortable at the other man's feet.

Boushin looked up at the tall man seated in front of him and gave him one of his easy smiles before setting about trying to climb up the older man's leg.

Ayuru noticed the endeavors of the child in front of him with mild interest for a few minutes. When it was obvious to him that the crown prince was determined to have his way, he smirked a bit to himself before pulling the child up to his lap. He vaguely wondered how Saihitei would react if he saw the former Seiryu warrior touching the kid. Boushin, now content in his place, resumed his play.

As if on cue, the priestess piped in, "Hotohori would _kill_ you if he saw this." Her eyes were smiling and he knew there was no malice in her words but the opportunity was too enticing to miss.

"Run to my room and fetch my phone from my coat pocket,would you?" It was a very innocent request to make.

But if one thing Miaka knew about her former arch enemy, it was this : _Nothing_ about him was innocent or without a motive.

A slow smile spread into her face as she realized what he was planning to do but she went along with it anyway. Hotohori would obviously be very angry to see pictures or videos of his son frolicking in the arms of his nemesis but it was still a brilliant idea to take back pictures for her friends back home. Possibly knowingly or else unknowingly, the Seiryu Shogun had done her a great favor. She was pretty sure he knew it too.

* * *

><p>"MIAKA!"<p>

Miaka turned around to see two familiar and very beloved faces taking long strides towards her. For the first time since coming in the book, she felt truly relieved and almost elated.

"Chichiri! Tasuki! Am I ever so glad to see you!"

Miaka ran over to her beloved friends. The both of them were equally happy to see her. But their happy reunion was cut short as three pair of eyes turned to greet a solitary and unwelcome newcomer who had chosen that inopportune moment to walk down the steps in search of fresh clothes.

"What is he doing here?" Tasuki narrowed his eyes at the familiar stranger who had walked in calm as a cucumber and had just spared them a cursory glance before heading off in another direction.

Chichiri knew of the circumstances that had befallen their beloved priestess and Tasuki had also been alerted,somewhat. But that did not imply that either of them were the least bit happy to see the ghost of Christmas past sauntering around the palace like nothing was wrong.

"Eh," said Miaka, " Well now we are stuck with him Tasuki, so you might as well get used to it."

Tasuki looked between the faces of his fellow seishi and priestess. He had a feeling things were definitely going to be too wacky this time around.

* * *

><p>"We?" snarled Tasuki, "Who said anything about a 'we'?You are not coming with us get that in your head."<p>

The Suzaku no Miko and with her warriors along with the Seiryu no Seishi Nakago, were holding a meeting together to discuss the situation at hand.

It did not come as much of a surprise to anybody when the former Shogun barely spared a glance at the direction of the much younger man.

"What surprises me," continued Nakago , in a calm tone, "is that the overseer hasn't tried to contact the Suzaku no Miko yet. I remember, her being in good graces of Taaitsukun before and they have had a lot of direct correspondence , which,you'll agree, was very unusual at the time because the overseer had never once tried to contact the Seiryu priestess."

"And whose fault was that?" mimicked Tasuki, accurately copying the voice of the Shogun. It was very funny but given the circumstances and the cold blooded stare the former Seiryu warrior was giving the flame haired bandit, every one chose to overlook the matter.

"Well, this wasn't part of Taiitsukun's plan, you know," replied the blue haired monk, worry obvious in his voice. Things had definitely taken a turn for the worse ever since the priestesses had left. Fates had decreed for a miko to come from a different world once every hundred years in order to summon a beast God. But with Miaka and Yui appearing together and simultaneously summoning both Suzaku and Seiryu, the universe was definitely having a hard time with its divine balancing act. To say nothing of the disturbances that had appeared since the sealing of Seiryu. It had created a void a lot of others were too eager to fulfill, much to Taiitsukun's chagrin.

Not even Taiitsukun, unfortunately, knew what had called Miaka back, that too accompanied by Nakago of all people. Chichiri had heard about the former general's seishi powers returning and that it self had been another surprising event. How did he manage to retain his powers if Seiryu was sealed?

"Would you suggest we start for the holy mountains then ?" the Seiryu seishi asked of his Suzaku counterpart. It was no surprise to him that the Overseer was unaware of the circumstances that had befallen on Miaka and himself. He knew who was behind it all very well._ That _was an open secret. But what did he want?

"Not really,you know," replied Chichiri thoughtfully, "Taiitsukun alerted me herself the moment she felt Miaka in this world but this situation has her thinking as well. She did say though, that your presence now, confirms a theory that's been going on in her mind of late."

Chichiri paused. There had been many disturbing occurrences in the past years , not only in Konan but in the neighboring countries as well. Mysterious disappearances, gruesome deaths and unexplained plagues had terrorized villages everywhere. An insidious terror had steadily creeped up the hearts and minds of people every where and no one had a cure. In fact, there had been two gruesome deaths in the Konan royal palace itself in the last month but that had been a very hushed up affair. A palace servant had been found dead and no one knew how or why. The victim had been drained of the last drop of blood on his body but there was not a single mark, not even a tiny bite mark, that could be found on his person. He had had a knife in his hand which he had used to take the life of his own wife whose body had been found next to his. It was hard to determine if he had killed his wife and then taken his own life or if there were outside forces at work. But security had been doubled within the palace walls ever since then as everyone feared for the safety of the Empress and the Crown Prince.

Taiitsukun had indeed informed her apprentice about the evil entity Tenkoh who had long been banished from their world. But the overseer knew that it was only a matter of time before he would get away. Even during his time in the underworld, the evil sorcerer turned wraith had managed to contact the Seiryu Seishi Nakago because of the latter's origins and identity as a member of the race that had once served Tenkoh diligently before being wiped away. It was not unknown to the Overseer of the Universe of the Four Gods, that Seiryu's chief Seishi had disobeyed the law and had dishonored his patron God many times by daring to summon the nefarious entity Tenkou ,in the Azure dragon's own shrine.

She knew for a fact that Tenkou was no longer bound to the Underworld. It had been a recent development and the facts were still unclear to her, but nonetheless she had felt his awful presence. It was a bad omen and now that Tenkou's apparent devotee had returned to the world of the four Gods, accompanied by none other than the priestesses of Suzaku, there were a lot of questions that would legitimately come up about the former Seiryu warrior's true intentions.

Chichiri wanted to believe that Nakago was as much in the dark as the rest of them but he found himself unable to ignore the significance of why he of all people had been summoned back. And if, at all, Tenkou was responsible for bringing both of them to the book world, then perhaps, whether anybody liked it or not, the Seiryu warrior was potentially more of a liability than a strength. Not to mention, his abilities despite the absence of Seiryu's blessing was more a cause for concern than anything else. Chichiri resolved in his mind to keep the chief Seiryu warrior under close surveillance. Tasuki openly disliked him and from what he could deduce from Nakago's relations with Miaka, it did not take a genius to notice that there was no love lost between the two.

Ayuru said nothing as he watched the blue haired monk ponder facts in his mind. He knew exactly what was going on in the other man's head. All the Suzaku seishi, along with their priestess were dreadfully easy to read. He hated being treated like a marked criminal. It was frustrating. He smirked inwardly at the predicament fate had rewarded him with. He hated feeling helpless and yet here he was, cooperating with people who would rather see him dead only because if anyone knew how to send either Miaka or him back, it was them.

"Are you finished deciding if I can be trusted?"

Chichiri looked at the man sitting across from himself and Tasuki. For someone who was usually as expressive as a stone, the Seiryu warrior looked very impatient. "No," he said simply, "I have no basis to form any kind of judgment at the moment. It's not like I am tossing coins here,you know."

If there was anything Ri Hojun had learnt in his twenty seven years of existence, it was to think twice before passing a judgment. You only had two eyes,after all.

Ayuru bowed his head slightly to the other man in agreement. If they were going to travel together for the next few days, it was important to know who stood where.

"Very well. I propose, we travel westward then."

"To Sairoh?What for?" asked Chichiri, taken aback.

"You want to know more about Tenkou, don't you?" inquired the former Seiryu warrior thinly, a smirk playing on his lips.

Raising his hand, Chichiri slowly removed the mask that hid his face before setting it on the table and returning his attention to the taciturn man watching him intently, "Sounds like a plan."

* * *

><p>"Tell me again, WHY we have to drag that bastard along with us?" whined the flame haired bandit to his priestess, "You know how long it takes to reach Sairoh, how will we stand him in the meanwhile? I know I can't handle that!"<p>

With their impromptu meeting over, the two had gotten out of the room arm in arm, eager to catch up on each other.

Miaka smiled at her friend's reaction. It was very much like Tasuki to behave like a petulant child when it suited him. She found it adorable and on this occasion, she even agreed with him.

"I don't know," she joined in his whine fest, " There I was, sitting on a bench, minding my own business and flipping through that evil book of supreme bad luck when suddenly he chose to appear and irritate the hell out of me , like he usually does and the next thing you know, I am back here stuck with the worst tour guide ever."

Tasuki snorted at the miko's less than flattering description of their mutual enemy. "So he's still an utter bastard , huh?"

Miaka rolled her eyes." You have no idea,"she said, happily launching on a tirade about her favorite topic of complaint, " You should have seen him on the road. He's acting all smooth now but let me tell you the guy wasn't meant for road gets so cranky. And that's saying something, considering how unpleasant he usually is."

"I know you find me fascinating , my dear Suzaku no Miko, but would you stop talking about me all the time? I hate getting these hiccups every time I am away from you."

They were so engrossed in talking that neither Miaka nor Tasuki had noticed when they had reached the corridor that led to Miaka's room, or the tall man who was casually leaning on the closed door waiting for its inhabitant to turn up.

"What are you doing here?" Miaka narrowed her eyes at the other man, silently wishing him several different kinds of gory accidents for this latest insult, " Get lost."

"I will," replied the tall man, straightening himself, " as soon as you tell me where you put my phone."

"Dressing table, top left drawer. Now shoo."

"Don't miss me too much."

"Drop dead."

"Is he always like this?" inquired Tasuki of his priestess, when they were finally in her room and the pestilence was gone.

"Oh no," replied with priestess of the God of love, hatred and sarcasm evident in her voice, " Sometimes, when you return the favor and irritate him, he turns silent and even more cranky."

Tasuki laughed out loud at her retort. "It will be just like old times, ne Miaka?" he grinned at her, his fangs visible for the world to see.

"Yeah," came the reply, accompanied by the habitual bright smile, "Just like old times."

* * *

><p>They were back at their usual haunt in the palace courtyard as the moon shone brightly in the sky, bathing everything in a soft light . It had turned out to be something like an unspoken ritual but no one voiced any comments on the matter. In fact, it was odder for her to explain as well why <em>she<em> had come searching for him tonight , instead of going to her own friends. Perhaps it was the fact that they were on the same boat now that made them seek out each others company. They were from the same world now and that made them a team,subtly separate from the rest. Or perhaps she was just a stickler for punishment.

Miaka , as usual, had a knack for saying the wrong things in front of him and the unsavory topic of the hour tonight was : Death. His.

She had tried to prod him about Soi first but was met with very limited success. Her stoic companion had brushed it off with a glare and a mildly worded death threat. The iceberg, to quote him verbatim, did _not _see the point of discussing why he had been carrying his fallen comrade around in a battlefield as it was none of _her_ goddamn business.

And of course, that was enough incentive for _her _to veer their discussion towards the next best topic at hand. His own demise.

She still remembered that fateful day in downtown Tokyo when one armored man from a different world had ruthlessly wrecked hers, razing buildings to the grounds without a second glance, possibly killing many and affecting a lot others.

She was prepared to sacrifice her life that day, as well as a lot of other things she had held more precious than life itself. She had been unable to believe her eyes when Tamahome had managed to deal that deadly punch that had cost the Shogun his life. As tears of happiness mixed with uncertain laughter had left her filled with relief and devoid of rational thought , she could not fathom why her own beloved had cried then, that too for the one who had fallen. His silent tears had not gone unnoticed by her but there had been little time left for them to discuss anything else. Years after when she had made Taka Sukunami, that little piece of information held little importance to either.

"I have no idea why that pansy boyfriend of yours would cry." He had a very faraway look in his eyes. His voice was light but something, probably the instinct of self preservation, told Miaka to not push her luck any further.

"Why did you want to rule the world anyway?"

Then again, her instinct of self preservation never got in the way of anything.

"There was no internet in Kutoh and I was bored out of my mind."

His face betrayed no emotion and his voice was very casual, _too casual._

In a rare show of patience, the priestess of Suzaku bit back a very well deserved epithet that was hovering at the tip of her tongue.

"Will it kill you to give me a straight answer for once?"

"Yes."

Miaka wondered to herself how Yui dealt with her chief seishi during her time in the book. He was as social as a cornered porcupine. In fact, at this precise moment, she wanted nothing more than to take a pitchfork and run it through him.

The priestess of Suzaku, God of love, sucked in a deep breath to tame the unholy homicidal feelings that were running havoc in her mind, before changing her strategy.

"Well," she mock sighed, " I can't force or entice you to blab if you don't feel like-"

"Feel free to entice me," came the bland answer, " like I said, no internet here so I will accept any mediocre entertainment I am offered."

It took her a few seconds to determine if he was hitting on her or insulting her. Deciding on the latter, she let roll the one thing she desperately wanted to say to him since the last hour.

"_Jackass."_

The former warrior of Seiryu smirked at that. For some reason it was very amusing every time she swore at him.

Miaka waited for a few seconds for a repartee from her companion but when none seemed to be forthcoming, she decided it was probably safe to venture more uninvited questions regarding his past. After all, he seemed to be in a relatively accommodating mood because otherwise he would have excused himself long ago.

And she was _very_ interested in him. She would never admit this to anyone ever mostly because people would obviously jump to the wrong conclusions. But he was, undeniably, attractive. Not an attractive person,not to her anyway,but...an attractive character.

He was a complex person. Someone who was capable of making anyone eat out of his hands if he wished. His powers, chi blasts and all were frightening but she was more wary of the hold and influence she knew he could wield over people. It was almost like she was looking at a puppet master who controlled others as well as their feelings so thoroughly. How else could he have made Yui forget a friendship that was more than a decade older, in favor of the half truths uttered by a complete stranger. During her time in the book, Yui idolized him. He had reduced an independent and smart girl into a complete needy wreck. He had the same hold over his own seishi as well. They were willing to die for him without even batting an eyelid. She knew about Soi and the circumstances of the female seishi's death. He drew people around him to their destruction like moths to a flame. It fascinated her, how someone could willingly shield someone like him from apparent death with their own life. Was it love? How could anyone love someone such as him that deeply? Was Soi blind or did she know something about the enigmatic blonde man that Miaka didn't?

Perhaps an old truth that could be his saving grace now...

A piece of conversation drifted to her mind. Something, a little bit of information, from long ago...almost another life time ago.

"Do you remember," she said softly, her voice very carefully casual, " what Chichiri said to you in Sairoh, during the summoning of Seiryu?" She groped frantically in her mind for a specific bit of information that made a lot more sense now than it did then. " About the Huns?"

If the man lounging causally on the railing next to her was offended in anyway by her question, it was hard to tell with the sideways smirk playing on his lips.

"You mean the Hins. The Huns would pertain to Attila the Hun and I like to think I am better looking than anyone from that race," the Seiryu warrior remarked in a bored voice. "By the way, your knowledge of history is appalling." He added, as an afterthought.

Miaka raised an eyebrow at the narcissistic comment but chose to plough on with the new lead. She would get something out of him today, even if it killed her.

"Okay the Hins. Sorry Sensei," her voice was very causally neutral with just the right dose of light curiosity, "So what about them? Were you really part of that race and every body else was killed?"

She hesitated but completed her question anyway, "Did they...kill your parents or something?"

Finally she had his full attention.

And she did not like it.

Very slowly, he straightened himself from the railing and looked at her in the eyes very calmly. "I killed my parents actually." His eyes were not remotely angered or murderous but their emptiness shocked her to the core. "Not at the same time, the murders were spontaneous but spaced evenly. First my mother and then some years later my father. Any more questions?"

He smiled thinly at her. It was such a cold smile that she actually feared for her safety. A part of her wanted to stand her ground and see what he would do next as there was no doubt she had really angered him this time. A part of her wanted to the the hell out of there. Another part of her, inexplicably, wanted to break down in tears.

"What did you think, Suzaku no Miko, that I was some poor ,horribly distressed orphan and after knowing about my past you will be able to _redeem_ me?Is that it?"

The words were spoken very calmly with carefully controlled enunciation but nothing could disguise the malevolence or hatred that bit her very skin like acid. She stood transfixed as anger slowly seeped into the sapphire blue irises and for once the Seiryu warrior did nothing to shield his emotions from her.

"I am a proud man, priestess. And I made conscious decisions, which at the time seemed justified to me. I am _not_ going to justify them to anyone again and neither am I going to hide behind excuses. Perhaps I was wrong in my beliefs. _Fine_." He literally spat out the last word as his eyes flashed dangerously. " So be it. But I paid the price and I take full responsibility for all that I did. There is no need for you to rehash the past and look for excuses."

He exhaled deeply ,surprised to find himself more disappointed than angry. It was even more of a surprise to him when he accurately pinpointed the fact that he was disappointed and _that _had something to do with the rapidly tearing-up eyes of the priestess of Suzaku.

A single drop of tear fell from her eyes but she was too rooted to the spot to notice. His controlled fury had shaken her too much to form conscious thoughts. But some loved faces floated in her mind.

Something in his reply, had sparked a deep emotion inside her as well.

_Justified, did he say?_

"How." she started, her voice shaking badly but she didn't care, " was killing Tamahome's _**entire **_family, his _**sick father**_ and his _**brothers **_and _**sisters**_ justified?"

"_**Children**_," she whispered looking at his calm gaze, matching his cold eyes with her steady ones. A part of her was afraid of him, but the part of her that was indignant won out. "How do you justify giving out orders to murder people you don't ever know?People that weren't even part of your war?Children? How dare you say you had _justified_ reasons? You're not _**that**_ blind!" she spat at him as tears fell freely from her stormy eyes.

Without realizing , she had always felt very safe when they had their usual verbal jousts but never for one minute had she stopped to think what would happen to _her_ if she pushed him to his limits. She had wondered ,on more than one occasion,what had possessed her that she had developed a habit of talking to him every night. But she cried for the children today and for the countless others that she couldn't mention, mostly because he probably didn't care less. All the anger and hatred that she felt towards him, that she had tried to hide behind her polite facade,came pouring out in tears as her shoulders sagged under the weight of her feelings.

She did not protest as a hand reached out to her shirt and dragged her in with it like one would drag a child. She did not protest as the hand led her to a very uncomfortable rock solid but warm body as another hand joined the first and circled her waist. Nor did she did not protest as her own head rested on a firm chest as another head rested lightly on top of hers.

They stayed together like that for Suzaku knew how long; each too comfortable or possibly too awkward to pull away and restart a decent conversation which they both knew,they were _absolutely_ incapable of having.

Miaka decided she liked being held by her arch enemy. Seeing as he was the number one suspect to wreak havoc in her life, she felt the most comforted when his hands were engaged in comforting her , as opposed to wreaking havoc in her world, as was his habit.

"Sorry." The simple word was very quietly spoken somewhere in her hair but she heard it clearly. She rubbed her drippy nose on his shirt in response. She was content and he was careful or else tactful enough to not disturb that.

Slowly raising her head she extricated herself from that bubble of comfort and gave him a lopsided smile. "I probably shouldn't have opened my mouth either," she conceded.

Her arch nemesis looked at her speculatively for a while before abruptly asking a very random question which effectively cleared the sappiness they both knew was hovering in the air.

"Have you read Hamlet?"

Miaka blinked confusedly at the much older man. "Well in high school, yes," she replied, "But don't expect me to remember much, you hogged the greater share of my attention then."

He smirked slightly at the honest confession.

"That's ok," he nodded, "I will give you a quote plus a hypothesis and let's see what you make of it?"

"Why?"

"As your professor I don't give you the liberty to ask me why," her so called teacher stated matter-of-factly, " and here we begin : Hamlet , as you know, was a play of revenge."

He paused, waiting for a reaction from her.

When she nodded, he continued, " And there was a a very famous quotation there, which goes something like this :

_To be, or not to be: that is the question:  
>Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer<br>The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune  
>Or to take arms against a sea of troubles,<br>And by opposing end them?—To die,—to sleep.."_

Miaka stood enchanted as his deep baritone voice recited the verses flawlessly from memory. The passion in his tone surprised her, as his perfect recital seemed to trail over her very skin like soft velvet. It was very appropriate. And she knew then, why he had suddenly started the topic. He had invited her to discuss her previous questions in hypothetical terms.

It was very clever and very appropriate and very like him.

His question jolted her out of her reverie. "Now, what," said he, " should such a someone, harried by circumstances and at the end of his wits, do? What,would you say, is nobler? To suffer and be quiet, to oppose and fight the system or to give up and commit suicide?"

Miaka looked at the face of the Seiryu warrior who had resumed his lounging on the railing. The angry blue eyes were no more. The eyes weren't empty either. This time there was a something she couldn't quite identity. Perhaps he had blessedly realized she was a human and his equal, and this was a soft look of friendly invitation, or perhaps he was just too drowsy. It was very late, after all. She didn't quite know how to identify his countenance and instead meditated on his question.

At length she voiced her own opinion on the matter, " An idealist would say, stay on and fight back."

He smiled wryly at her choice of words and she knew he had understood exactly what she had meant to convey.

"And what would your answer be?" he asked her.

She looked at him for a few seconds as realization about her own self dawned on her. "I don't know actually," she found herself speaking her mind, " Before our adventure in the book , I would have probably said the same as an idealist. I am, probably an idealist. But its hard to always do what you believe in. Sometimes circumstances oblige you to take decisions you don't like. Right?"

He shrugged noncommittally at that.

"What would your answer be?", she asked her softly, her eyes tracing his aristocratic sculpted features. In the soft moonlight he looked too ethereal, too out of place..

"I don't know either," he smiled at her. She was breathless. It was the first true smile she had seen from him and it was beautiful. She knew a person's entire countenance changed when they smiled but this was unreal. His face looked relaxed , the beautiful sapphire eyes glistened with a twinkling light and that was a sight to behold. She had never noticed before how kind his eyes were capable of looking. He looked younger. It was such a beautiful smile, she desperately wished in her heart that he would smile more. She wanted to capture and frame the moment and remember it forever. She had no idea why.

Suddenly, she knew what it was about him, the magnetic personality, that drew people to him like hapless insects to a light. It was the way he was and the many layers of his character, the complexities of his mind, the depth of his knowledge and the passion with which he did the things he did. It was hypnotic. He was hypnotic.

_And is someone doesn't pour acid in my brains right now, I will be in for a lot of trouble later..._

"Probably that's why I have landed myself in this joyride again. To look for answers," he was still smiling, "Will you help me?"

She snorted. He was the last person on the planet that needed her help.

"Let's go to sleep. Tomorrow is a big day."

"Together?"

"You just wish,Blondie."

The blond snickered at that. The miko had once again bounced back to her usual chirpiness and somehow he found that to be a big relief.

"Hey, who is Emiko? Your girlfriend?"

But clearly, she had no instincts of self preservation. _At all._

"Have you been snooping in my phone, priestess?"

"No ,of course not !" bristled the accused in question, "You're not that interesting. I just happened to notice a random picture message that's all." She was grinning from ear to ear.

"She's married-"

"What? Oh God, are you married? Congratulations!" Personally she felt sorry for the woman who had to put up with this apostle of apathy but still, this was big news.

"Let me finish," berated the older man , " she is married _to someone else_."

And the tell tale smirk was back.

"Eh?" blinked Miaka, thoroughly confused. No one who saw that picture could have guessed that the lady was otherwise engaged. "What's your relationship with her then?"

The tall ,usually stoic man, smirked deeper. Leaning in , he stopped exactly a hairsbreadth _"Exactly what you think it is, my dear."_

This time, Suzaku's chosen priestess decided to hold her ground. Matching his smirk for one of her own she said, "Thank god the world is finally all right again. You , sir, are _still_ the depraved bastard you were. I was beginning to get worried." She smiled at him brilliantly, her eyes aglow with laughter.

"Pleasure is all mine."

* * *

><p><strong>Notes from yours truly :<strong>

Happy New Year guys ! Hope everyone had a wonderful break :D

Now, Nakago just quoted Shakespeare, how many of you find it too hard to believe? ^-^v

What does everything think about this story so far? Let me know =D I know some of you might find the pace of this story to be too slow and my excuse for that is , I want these two very dissimilar characters to know each other, form a bond or at least some sort of friendship so you know when they take their relationship to the next level ( and I use the term relationship with very high hopes) , it sounds believable. And hence here I am, writing ten long pages about two people talking in a courtyard.

Hopefully once they set out of the palace in search of whatever is wrong with the world, the pace will pick up a much more faster speed.

Thanks to everyone that read and reviewed the chapters this far :D **Irukanomiko,Jacky, Dessert Renaissance,honey,megamisakura **and** Flashyfirebird **.Thank you so much, I love reading your comments and suggestions and it makes me look forward to writing =) And I look forward to reading your opinions on the later chapters as well :)

**irukanomiko :** Hello xD I am glad you liked the previous chapter. And I will keep your suggestion in mind. Its exactly how I feel on the matter as well xD Nakago wouldn't be Nakago if he succumbed to emotion too much. I try to keep that in mind. I was afraid of spilling too much in this chapter but hopefully its all right :P

**About Nakago being un-evil**, well like I said before, he's reincarnated now and I guess he's spent the better part of his current life minding his own business. To be evil, he would need at least some sort of motivation or driving force which has been thankfully absent in his life this time around. He's had a good life so far, hes rich and attractive (what else can a man want xD) . I guess if you remember back to the boy Ayuru from the book, he was a quite and loving mommy's boy (awww ) , so with the other traumatizing events absent this time, he turned up to be a normal person but given who he is and what he had done, his experiences give him a jaded and cynical view about life. Of course, I can't guarantee he will remain a straight laced,law abiding businessman if situations demand that he be otherwise ;)

**honey : **hello xD Hahaha I would like to see me write a kiss between Nakago and Miaka as well lol. But bear with me a bit as I try to make a very unlikely relationship sound logical. And believable. I already had the perfect ending in mind and its killing me to not write and post that up already xD On the bright side there was a hug in this chapter xD

**Flashyfirebird **: Hello :D Thanks for the glowing review for chapter 3. I was so happy to see it. I enjoyed writing those interactions between Nakago and all of the Suzaku seishis and I tried to keep everybody in character. It makes me happy that you enjoyed it so much.

About Miaka being bipolar, actually I realized it when I was writing the previous chapters as well. What reeeeaally happened was, being an ardent Nakago fan ( like that wasn't obvious enough -.- xD) I only paid attention to developing his character and you know, making sure he gets all these glorified attributes and has these insightful conversations etc etc...but I left my heroine woefully underdeveloped except for her hyper features which are kind of easy to write about. Hopefully,with the oncoming chapters, my Miaka will have some depth in character too. I tried doing that in the earlier chapters actually but then I just lost it because I was enjoying writing about Nakago way too much lol

Thanks for the grammar inputs as well,I used to know the rules very well before but I guess, I need to have some discipline as a writer and proofread all that I upload more seriously.

Usually, here's how my attempt at proofreading goes :

_"Once upon a time bla bla bla...oh Nakago is so funny...oh Nakago is so sexy...omg he's so hilarious...omg I love him...yay Nakago" _*-* -uploads chapter-

I am working on it =\


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter VII : Enemy of thine Enemy is thy new Business partner  
><strong>

"_Where are we going?_

"_You'll see, you'll see. This way !"_

"_Okay."_

…_._

"_Ayuru, what are you day dreaming about? Hurry."_

"_I'm coming, I'm coming."_

"_Okay now, wait here and close your eyes."_

"_Why?"_

"_You'll **see**! Now close your eyes."_

"_No."_

"_Ayuru !"_

"_Okay. But you have to back before I count till ten."_

"_Make that fifty."_

"_No. Ten."_

"_Okay, forty."_

"_Twenty and that's it. I can't remember the numbers after that anyway."_

"_Hahaha, really? Wait till I tell auntie Matuta about this."_

"_Fifteen."_

"_Okay, okay, I won't tell, now close your eyes."_

…_.._

"_...Eighteen...Nineteen...Twenty...Taria?...uhhhhh...thirty-three?"_

"_You can open your eyes now."_

"_What are those?"_

"_Flowers, silly. For you. For your birthday!"_

"_Umm...Flowers are for girls."_

"_Take them before I change my mind and give you nothing at all!"_

"_Ok. Thank you ."_

"_You don't like them at all? I spent all of last night making the bouquet."_

"_Oh, no,wait ! Don't run ! I love the flowers !"_

"_Really?"_

"_Yeah. Of course. They are so...umm..nice...and umm...beautiful. Mother will be happy to see them too. They are so smelly-"_

"_Smelly?"_

"_Oh no! I mean, they smell so nice."_

"_You like them, then?"_

"_Yeah ! Thanks a lot !"_

"_Okay."_

* * *

><p>The flashbacks had increased as had the familiarity in their surroundings as they steadily went further west. Ruthlessly, he suppressed the accompanying emotions. But with little success. He was no longer the Shogun of Kutoh, driven by the sole single-minded thought of revenge. The businessman had never learnt to control his emotions simply because there was little need for feelings in the world he lived in now. Money was everything. Period. No one had time to indulge in emotions when hypocrisy worked quite well. Ayuru reflected wryly, on the worth of that particular gift that had ten year old girl had given to her friend . If he managed to get out of the book alive this time,he would look forward to his twenty-eighth birthday this month. In the society he lived in, the men and women placed little value in sentiments. Money and status dictated the lives of his peers and he was no exception. For the last few years or so, his birthdays were just another excuse for the stuffed-shirts on the executive floor to get drunk in. The deputy chairman's birthday was a high profile event. But he was no fool. If anything, his birthday was usually the day he was hunted the most that too without prior appointments as businessman, industrialists and other investors in his contact list made sure to discuss all their tentative projects with him. It was all,<em> strictly business...<em>

His ramblings were interrupted rudely by a steady stream of curses that flowed on his right. It seemed the bandit was allergic to his horse. Or more appropriately,from the looks of things, the horse was allergic of its rider. It was very odd for a bandit actually. What a professional handicap.

"It's a pity you were stuck with _that _! " he smirked at the general direction of Tasuki and his horse. Tasuki looked to see the blonde Shogun matching his pace with a solemn look on his face. It surprised him that Nakago of all people , would sympathize with his situation. Probably the blonde bastard did change after all.

"Thank you, Nakago," nodded Tasuki, still surprised, " That's unusually nice of you." Privately he wanted to add if the latter was suffering from sunstroke.

"I was talking to the horse."

"You utter SWINE ! Wait till I get off this useless bag of bones. I will FRY YOU ALIVE , YOU PIECE OF _SHIT _!" _See,_ Tasuki thought vehemently to himself. _Hell would freeze over twice before the Seiryu bastard turned nice._

The person who the comment was directed at, seemed too unflappably calm and quiet for someone who had just received a death threat. But the horse,as if on purpose, snorted in response.

"Bastard !" mumbled Tasuki, grumbling to himself. He would obviously take it all out on Chichiri later for making him come. For making _HIM _come as well .

"Me or the horse?" asked a curious voice.

Tired of the constant banter as well as the scorching sun, Tasuki did not bother to start up his difficult companion for another round. "You pick."

Ayuru smirked to himself. He knew it was pointless to dig up old feuds but there was something to be relished in picking on the Suzaku Shichi Seishi and their priestess. They were just _too easy._

"Cut it out," came a tired voice from behind them, "We should be keeping our eyes and ears open now , instead of bickering with each other like children."

Chichiri's comment were met with twin snorts from both the offending parties, while the Suzaku no Miko, who had been silently listening to the conversation of her dysfunctional team members for quite some time now, commented loudly enough for all to hear, "You'll have better luck trying to teach Japanese irregular verbs to that horse."

"Hey," Tasuki turned, offended that his own priestess had turned against him due to the blonde bastard, "Are you comparing me to a horse?"

Miaka, being the loyal friend was about to appease the flame haired bandit when the Seiryu warrior beat her to it, " Of course, she is not ! _That horse has pedigree._"

"**WHAT** did you _SAY_ ?" bellowed the Suzaku warrior, bringing out his fan,ready to fry his less than pleasant traveling companion to cinders.

He had nearly let loose the powers of the _Tessen_ on the infuriating Seiryu warrior, if not for the timely intervention by the blue haired monk.

"BREAK TIME!"

And they needed a break too. Trudging on for hours under the scorching heat of the sun, had not only made the travelers unnecessarily cranky, but the horses needed rest as well.

They made camp in a decent looking clearing in the forest. They were going past the western borders of Kutoh and not a single man or bird had been in sight for miles.

"Here?" inquired Ayuru, of the monk. He could think of twenty other places off the top of his head where they could have set up camp. "We should go on for some more. Sairoh is very near and it will be prudent to stop _after_ we have reached the capital city."

Chichiri looked around to find the tall man,staring at him with an all-too casual bland look on his face. But despite the Seiryu Seishi's apparent indifference, a trained eye could still gather a lot from his stiff posture and the slight vein that was throbbing on his temple. Something had irked the Duke of disdain at last. And Chichiri knew _exactly_ what it was.

"Well,we are all very tired and the horses need rest too,you know," replied the monk blithely, apparently unaware of the latter's inner turmoils, " What if we don't make it to Sairoh in time? It will be very hard to look for a decent place to camp in the dark."

"I see," came the morose reply.

* * *

><p>The amateur camp fire that had been built in the center of the clearing was the handiwork of the Priestess of Suzaku and her trusted seishi, the flame bandit. Now there was a <em>lot<em> to be said about her out door skills, but after the truly baleful glare the priestess had directed at him, he chose, for once, to keep his opinion to himself. It amused him though, that she had known as soon as she glanced at him that he was dying to say something nasty. That, the priestess had picked up on his moods was irritating, and he knew he was going to get back at her later for that. But , for the moment, he settled for laying down beside the fire on the forest floor , one hand acting as a pillow while the other thrown carelessly over his face, shielding his eyes. It was a childish thing to do. Closing his eyes was not going to keep away the memories that were seared permanently to his mind.

_A beautiful, tall, woman, with braided hair down to her waist was making flower crowns for a little girl..._

_Nearby, was a boy, hardly any older than the girl, looking disgruntled. He had been given the undesirable task of gathering the flowers._

_They looked so similar, all three of them, with their identical blonde hair and blue eyes, they could have almost been family...almost..._

"_Here you go, here's one for you too."_

"_Mother. I am not a girl !"_

"_Ayuru, you are a beautiful boy. You almost look like a girl.."_

"_No I don't. I hate it when you say I look like a girl."_

_Unfortunately for him, the boy looked too much like his mother for anyone to actually take his side on the matter..._

* * *

><p>"I am BORED!"<p>

The Suzaku no Miko looked up from her position by the fire to find Tasuki looking thoroughly bored. The man had a knack for description. Chichiri had his back to a conveniently placed boulder, and was dozing off every now and then. The erstwhile Seiryu Seishi was stretched out on the ground, asleep to the rest of the world, looking far too casual for her peace of mind. But the hapless equestrian, it seemed, was wide awake. Miaka, secretly, voiced her own agreement in the matter. She wasn't that tired either. In fact, having spent the last half hour by the fire, with her head comfortably placed in the crook of her hunched up knees, she had , in her opinion, rested enough to carry on further.

"Want to go for a walk?"

"No,I'm too tired for that," grumbled Tasuki, "Oi Chichiri! Wake up !"

Tasuki prodded the blue haired monk with his feet, as the latter woke up with a start.

"Grow up, you know !"

"Well, I'm bored."

"Want to play cards?" asked Chichiri, giving up.

"Okay !"

"Great ! Wake up Nakago, so we can all play together,"said Chichiri, settling back against the boulder, "Wake me up again _after_ you've woken him."

It took Tasuki a few good seconds to realize he had been played.

"_HEY!"_

The little cough that emanated from the monk, in response,sounded surprisingly like a snort. He was looking forward to a nice, long and uninterrupted nap for the rest of the night.

Miaka chortled at the predicament Tasuki was in. "My offer is still open." She grinned at the bandit. She desperately wanted to stretch her legs and she was pretty sure Tasuki wasn't foolhardy enough to try and wake a sleeping dragon, least of all _this_ one.

But it took one fanged grin from Tasuki for his priestess to realize, they were, unfortunately, kindred spirits and stupidity ran amok in their close knit family.

"Oi, blondie, wake up !"

No response.

"You! Strawhead, wake up !"

Miaka wanted to say something right about here to save her friend from a possible sticky end, but his next words had her in splits as well.

"Idiot ! Jackass ! Dirtbag !...wake up ! _Bitch_ !"

"What do you know, this is pretty satisfying !" guffawed the bandit, eying the sleeping man on the floor.

"Miaka," he grinned at his priestess, "Watch this !"

In his hand, Tasuki held a little pebble. It was pretty self explanatory what he was about to do next.

She wanted to stop him, but she also wanted somebody...anybody, to give the blonde some pay back for how he had woken her up in the morning. Karma, after all, was _very_ good at accounting.

After taking careful aim, Tasuki threw the pebble right at the blonde's face as Miaka watched on , torn between horror and fascination.

A hand shot up and caught the little airborne stone in the nick of time and set it flying back to its source. Tasuki let out a shrill expletive as the pebble hit him squarely on the head. _Damn the jerk!_

"Do you really want me to kill you _that badly_?"

But this time, the blue haired monk, sitting next to Tasuki, beat the Seiryu warrior to it, as Chichiri's heavy staff landed thickly on Tasuki's head and a string of howls and expletives followed.

"What did you do that for?" whined Tasuki, rubbing his head.

"You were asking for it, you know" replied the monk wearily, "Well now that every one's all wide awake thanks to the idiot sitting on my right, let's play cards."

Ayuru exhaled in response as Tasuki finally settled down.

"I want to take a walk," pitched in Miaka, hopefully.

"No," came the succinct answer from the apostle of apathy himself, "It's dangerous and I am too disinterested to save your skin at the moment." Miaka glared at the blonde shogun, although the glare lost half its usefulness as his back was turned. The former shogun, still stretched out on the ground, was turned to his side towards Chichiri and Tasuki with his head resting on one hand. He was watching the monk deal out the cards.

"Well, then teach me how to play," said the priestess crossly, she was not going to let the three men just sideline her at whim.

Ayuru took a moment's pause before replying. "Don't wander too far out of sight and shout if you need help."

_Jackass. _

* * *

><p>Grumbling at a certain someone's unfeeling behavior, Miaka took off from the camp, going in the first direction that came to her mind. The place had a serene beauty to it and the ride coming here had been very pleasant as Miaka and Chichiri had both ooh'd and aah'd at the surroundings while the other two had bickered on. They were somewhere in between the borders of Sairoh and Kutoh but the beautiful and unoccupied mountainous stretch of land, rife with greenery and much to Miaka's delight, waterfalls and mountain streams, held traits of neither country. It was a place of its own. The roads that meandered between the mossy mountains had been smooth and had it not been for the fact that they were actually stuck in a life-threatning situation, Miaka would have insisted on stopping at every little waterfall that had cropped up on their way.<p>

Her thoughts turned to her team members. She was glad Chichiri was with them. He was the only thin string of reason that was holding on her dysfunctional crew together. She loved Tasuki and couldn't blame him for hating the blonde but she knew she would have to have a talk with him sooner or later to zip it. As for the blonde, well, screw him. They hadn't been on talking terms since this morning when he had unceremoniously dragged her out of bed and of course,instead of him apologizing, he had given her the cold shoulder throughout the day.

It was all. Distinctly. His fault.

Seriously, whose fault was it, if that bastard was an insomniac? If he was capable of staying up into the wee hours of the night and then waking up again at the crack of dawn. It was inhuman. _Well, here's something that speaks for itself,_ her mental voice commented snidely._  
><em>

Apparently Chichiri had no qualms in starting early either and had come into her room to wake her up. In her sleep induced drowsiness, Miaka had been content to bargain with Chichiri for more minutes and they had gone back and forth over that for quite some time. And then _Hitler_ turned up, completely dressed. With one strong swipe he had divested Miaka of the bed sheet and the pillows, effectively jolting her out of her dreams.

Now anyone else in her position would have been pleased to be woken up by a gorgeous , impeccably dressed man in the morning but whose fault was it that said gorgeous hunk had the tongue of a viper and the manners of a barbarian? Gone was the man who had smiled and relaxed with her on the verandah the previous night. The Grim Reaper who had towered over her bed this morning had all the gentleness of a cactus. He didn't even bat an eyelid at her state of dress, or well, lack thereof. But screw that, she had slept in her comfy T-shirt and in her opinion had been decently covered with the bed sheet. It wasn't her fault if other people just rudely walked in and divested her off her modesty without any preamble or apology. Miaka suspected that the Shogun had finally resurfaced in the psyche of the businessman as the familiar bland expression was firmly in place, complete with the mocking eyebrow. After rudely hustling her out of bed, he had dispatched curt orders at Chichiri to _"wake up the other sleeping moron"_ and at herself to _" get ready within fifteen minutes or be left behind." _

By roughly 5 am, their party of four was already out of the city borders.

Her thoughts came to a pause as Miaka found herself standing in front of a _magnificent_ lake...

The water gently rippling under the moon light, was a clear blue. It was a quiet night and the surface of the lake shone in ethereal beauty. It was indeed, very beautiful. She stood admiring at its shore for a while when something glittering in the middle of the lake caught her eye. The waters were so clear and transparent, she could hardly _not_ notice the little shell...

The wind changed direction and the trees began to rustle softly. The hakamas she had borrowed from the palace in order to blend in more with the surroundings posed quite a problem though. So, she took them off...

Either way, the chances of one of the men dropping their card game to come look for her were very slim and she figured retrieving the shell, which seemed to be, thankfully, on the shallower side, would be a matter of minutes.

The water was cool. A slight shiver ran through her body as her feet touched the soft sandy bed of the lake. Goosebumps erupted on her skin as she took another step, the coldness of the water getting to her..

The smooth outer surface of the shell glittered like a jewel in the moon light.

"Greetings, Suzaku no Miko."

The next few seconds passed by too quickly as suddenly out of nowhere, a blinding flash of white light erupted from the entire pool. Miaka lost her footing and fell forward, splashing herself thoroughly...

* * *

><p><strong>"You cheated!"<strong>

"No, I did not. Stop blaming other people for your incompetence."

"Chichiri !_**He cheated**!"_

"Can you prove it?"

"But I need to go to sleep."

Chichiri sighed in exhaustion.

Since gambling with money was not an option, they had chosen, or to be fair, Tasuki had eagerly suggested that whoever lost would keep watch for the group for an entire night.

The Seiryu general had won two hands _in a row_ while Tasuki himself had ended up with the unluckiest hands he had had in his twenty years of existence. He couldn't decide what had been stupider, letting the blonde man deal the second hand or believing he could outsmart the impassive Seiryu seishi at poker.

As it were, the poor flame bandit had ended up losing sleeping rights for the next two nights as Chichiri had thanked Suzaku openly that he wasn't the scapegoat and Nakago had stood up to go looking for "the _rest_ of your incompetent team."

* * *

><p>She was drowning in blue waters and it was not entirely unpleasant. She mused on the man she had seen a brief glimpse of before the waters had engulfed her vision. He was dressed in finery and his hair was combed back as a small head piece decorated his fore head. Steely cold eyes had mocked her cruelly as they watched her drown.<p>

Her hands and feet had long since stopped responding to her wild and urgent pleas. She wondered if anyone knew. She wondered if the time of her death had approached at last. An ignominious death for someone who had been too famous in life. Ironic. Her thoughts drifted to Keisuke and she wondered how it was that she could still breathe. Her brother had always said she had been hopeless at swimming.

"Oh, you're not dying _yet_," chuckled a faceless voice in her ear, "Of course, you will _if _you don't co-operate."

Her eyelids felt too heavy and it took a lot of effort on her part to keep them open. She couldn't speak of course. It was as though someone had pressed the shut down button on her body and it was really shutting down on its own. Her senses gave in one by one.

_What do you want, _she thought, frantically in her mind, _who are you?_

Her right ear suddenly turned hot as though someone had been blowing hot air over it.

"I want your new friend, priestess," the voice continued smoothly.

_Who?_ She scanned her mind quickly because the question puzzled her. Two seconds later a picture drifted in her mind. It was a tall man with blonde hair sitting casually on a balcony railing with a cigarette held lazily between his fingers. The Tokyo skyline glittered beautifully in the background….

_Oh.._

She didn't answer for a moment as the faceless voice continued.

"You do realize, _he_ will betray you the first opportunity he gets," the voice said. She imagined the steely eyes narrowing in cruel mirth. "Isn't it better that you got to him first before he finishes the rest of_ everything_ you care for?"

_He __**has **__changed,_ thought Miaka, more to herself and for her own benefit than for anything else.

"Perhaps," acknowledged the voice smoothly, "but dear Priestess, has he changed _enough _to pass up a chance for getting revenge on the person responsible for wrecking all his plans _and_ killing him? It was a stroke of luck, that you my dear, had ruined _everything_ he had worked his entire life for. Do you think he has forgotten? Are you sure? It's not easy, you know, to forget a blow to your chest…_or for that matter a sword through your lover's heart_…. And my dear, the Seiryu Seishi Nakago I know, _**lived**_ for revenge…."

Doubt clawed at her heart like a rabid wolf. She had asked those very questions to herself countless times….

Encouraged by her silence, the voice taunted her further, "I would get rid of him as soon as I could, if I were you."

Her mind voiced out the one thought that seemed most practical. _I can't kill him, __**none **__of us can kill him. He has his powers in this world. We would __**all**__ die._

"Well good fortune comes and goes, don't you think?" the voice purred softly, "and I can take his powers back in a moment, you only just need to give the word…."

_His powers weren't given by Seiryu?_ Her panicked mind went on overdrive.

"Of course not," said the voice smoothly, "they were given by me, Tenkou, his patron deity. You are deceiving yourself if you think Nakago has ever served that worthless dragon."

_Patron God? Why would you help me then?_ Her lungs had finally started to burn as the lack of oxygen affected her.

"Dear girl, whatever gave you that misconception," chuckled the voice mirthfully, as the sound drew a shiver from her spine, "I am not helping you. But as my own devotee has strayed from his path, _apparently_, it amuses me to teach him a lesson. That _you_ will benefit from it, is just a pleasant by-product."

Her lungs were burning in earnest now as she tried fruitlessly to get her limbs to function. She did not want to give in to this demon but at the same time, she could not close her eyes to the potential death threat that was Nakago. She hadn't gotten over their last encounter, the deaths of her friends and the horrible, gut wrenching feeling of loss that had accompanied.

"_Say it,_" the voice whispered silkily.

Deciding it was more important to get out alive than worry about matters of conscience, the Suzaku no miko let out the one word that she knew was going to be her downfall sooner or later.

_Okay._

"In return," the voice told her pleasantly, "I will take, but a _drop_ of your blood. Enjoy your victory, Suzaku no Miko."

* * *

><p>He found her soon enough. He had suspected that the lake would hold her interest. But the sight he found her in was disturbing to say the least. The Suzaku no Miko, lay on the shore, wet as a fish and coughing as though her life depended on it as her bare legs glistened invitingly in the moonlight . The wet kimono that covered the top half of her body, clung to her torso like a second skin, detailing every curve in her petite frame.<p>

For a moment, he didn't know whether to be aroused or concerned.

Quickening his pace, he came upon the thoroughly drenched miko breathing heavily on the shore.

"What," he inquired his voice casually neutral, "were you doing?"

The Suzaku no miko jumped violently, his voice had startled her. Raising her head to look at the man towering over her with the habitual bland look on his face, she weakly lifted her right hand, by way of an answer. Clutched therein, was a shell.

His eyes softened at the sight of the small shell resting on her palm but Miaka was too busy getting her lungs to function properly to notice. If she did, she would have perhaps noted the fleeting look of recognition that had come and gone from her enemy's beautiful face.

"You went to get that ?" he asked, his voice still carefully neutral.

She nodded her head weakly, being for the moment, too out of breath to speak.

"And of course, deep sea diving was the _only_ available option."

She lifted her head again to glare at the inquisitive man, irritation filled in her eyes. He had expected that. But what he had not expected was the presence of guilt written plainly on her whole face that she had been unable to hide. It had caught his attention but he kept the information filed in his brain for later analysis, concentrating instead on lighter matters which he assumed would allay her current tacit _and_ sour disposition.

Getting down on his feet , he settled on the sand beside her.

"Do you know what that shell is for?" he asked, looking into her decipherable-as-a-newspaper face.

"It's just a nice looking shell, that's all," she replied noncommittally, having just obtained her voice back.

Without replying, he gently took the object from her hand. Prying it open, he returned it back to her, waiting for her reaction.

Inside were two identical blue pearls, glittering beautifully in the night.

Her eyes widened with wonder as she marveled at the gorgeous objects. She looked at him , waiting for an explanation.

"_You_ had earrings made out of these pearls," her voice was filled with awe, "Did you get them out of here as well?"

She was quick.

"I was given those pearls from somebody else," he shrugged, "but they came from this lake too."

"Oh wow," she said thoughtfully, "Does that mean anyone can come here and get pearls from the lake? That's nice."

He raised his eyebrows at her comment. "Why? What do you think this is? A thrift store?"

Ignoring the jibe, Miaka asked further, "Then?"

He was surprised she didn't jump at the chance to retort back. Perhaps the tumble in the lake had subdued her spirits.

"I don't remember the story," he lied blatantly as pictures of a tall dark haired, armored man and a beautiful woman with braided blonde hair invaded his head.

He was not surprised when the Suzaku no Miko bought his little lie and sank back to her deep thoughts. He had just won two hands at poker. He was on a roll.

"Say," the girl next to him spoke presently, "if you were given a choice..." Her eyes had a faraway look as she gazed somewhere beyond the lake, "And you could have everything you ever wanted ,and all you had to do, was kill…._me_…." It sounded strange to her own ears that she was calmly discussing her possible demise with her arch enemy. "What would you do?"

He raised his eyebrows at her question but smirked in response, "I would kill you without hesitating. Were my past actions not convincing enough for you?"

He got up and offered his hand to her. He knew where the discussion was going and he was in no mood to entertain her at the moment.

She tentatively reached for his hand as her eyes searched his face frantically. "_Will you please be serious for __**once**__?_" her eyes were beginning to tear up. Obviously, something was distressing the poor girl too much.

But the instant she touched his hand, he knew exactly what was wrong.

The Miko's chi had altered. Very subtly. Very, _very_ subtly. Her body still emanated the signature red chi of the phoenix God, there was no mistaking the foreign element that hid in the glow of red like a dormant seed. Cleverly hidden, but still unmistakable. It wasn't something he recognized , but given the circumstances and the location, he was pretty certain what had transpired and how it had effected the priestess.

He stole a casual glance at the lake. When he had first laid eyes on her, a wet heap on the the shore, concern for her had made him forget his customary habit of giving any place a preliminary surveillance. But now, the traces of power that were slowly evaporating from the lake were also noticeable. The culprit, it seemed, had _wanted_ him to know.

He looked back to her face. Realization dawned on him as she grasped his hand for support and lifted herself up.

"So?" the Suzaku no Miko tapped her foot impatiently, avoiding his eyes.

He smiled dryly.

"What is the point of asking me questions you already have decided answers for?"

He looked at her distressed face. Innocence was written all over it.

So was betrayal.

He turned his eyes back on the lake.

"What's that supposed to mean?" her voice was uncertain.

"You tell me," he smirked at her, "Anything happened that I should know about?"

The priestess looked up at him, her eyes conveying emotions her mouth wasn't going to.

Looking down at her feet she shrugged.

He smiled thinly at the shivering,wet girl in front of him.

"I'll return to the camp." She still wasn't looking at him.

"As you wish," he stepped aside, letting her go.

Lowering her eyes and clutching at her kimono, she made her way to the pair of Hakamas she had discarded long ago.

"I am waiting to hear the splendid reason you took your pants off for."

"So they wouldn't get wet."

He noticed her shoulders drooping a bit.

"How did that work out for you?"

The Suzaku no Miko picked up her clothes and left without comments and he returned his attention back to the lake. He did not need to look at her face to notice the tears that had slipped past her weak defenses.

The girl just wasn't cut out for the role she had signed herself up for. Without thinking. As usual.

* * *

><p>He waited till she was out of earshot before venturing back to the shore. The presence that had seemed like dissipating when the miko had been around was beginning to return in full force. Or perhaps it had never gone.<p>

He did not go too near the water. Tenkou's new found penchant for drowning people was not something he appreciated being subjected to.

He looked on, almost bored, as the lake began to radiate a soft white light. The brightness grew within seconds till it was blinding.

Exhaling in impatience, Ayuru looked sideways to regain focus before looking back at the lake and at the tall eerie looking man with long silvery hair, hovering over the surface looking like a divine apparition.

"She betrayed you," the apparition said, without preamble.

"You tricked her," he replied calmly. The incessant cat and mouse game was beginning to annoy him.

"No," Tenkou smiled at his former servant, "I simply suggested that she arm herself, in case, you know, _something happened."_

"Against me."

"Of course," the evil smile widened as calculating eyes narrowed in mirth, "How would the '_something'_ happen otherwise? Your past record goes against you."

"You do realize, even with her powers she doesn't stand a chance."

"Yes, but see, the nice thing is, your power comes and goes _at will_," the beast God informed agreeably, _" My will, to be more specific."_

Ayuru narrowed his eyes at his former patron . _That explains a lot, actually._

"My death benefits you…._how_?"

The deity took a step on the water surface. And then another.

He walked till he had reached the shore and stood facing his unwilling devotee.

"It doesn't," came the answer, "I will actually _mourn_ your demise, which is why, I will offer you your life one more time." The mocking,patient smile from before had been replaced by a harsh sneer. _"Don't disappoint me."_

"How kind of you," replied Ayuru amicably, "And what exactly would you have me do?"

"Nothing much for now," the deity said, looking at him speculatively, "But I will need her assistance very soon, and then, _you_, will _ensure_ her cooperation and guarantee that she _does not_ summon Suzaku in the meantime."

"And if I don't?"

Tenkou paused for a bit, searching the impassive face of his former servant. Of course he was never going to completely follow orders. He never did.

" I would like to see you convince that little fool to trust you," He scoffed, " She knows you are _not_ her well wisher and _nothing_ you do will convince her pretty little head otherwise. Tell me, would you like to forfeit your life a _second time_ to pay for your sins?"

"So now," continued the evil deity, malice rolling from his aura in waves, "You can either come under my protection or the pair of you can kill each other off. _And heaven forbid, should you lose your power while the miko retains hers…."_

The sentence was left hanging between them as the deity slowly vanished into thin air, his smile cruel and mocking to the very end.

Making a swift decision, Ayuru cast a parting glance towards the lake before heading back to the camp. He disliked dying and he was most _certainly _not going to make a habit out of it.

It was all, _strictly business._

* * *

><p><strong>MEOW ! <strong>

Hello xD I am kind of excited that the story is finally going somewhere…very….slowly xD

What do you think? This is really my first venture into writing mystery or actually, anything else that's not a school paper. So if you see things that you like or don't like or even feel bleh about, let me know.

Thank you so much for the reviews _**Jacky,Honey, Elena-Unduli **__and__** Dessert Renaissance**_

**Jacky** : Here's the update, hope you like :)

**Honey** : Hi xD I am fine thanks =D Hope you're good too. I am glad you like my way of writing. Hahaha and don't thank me for reading your reviews lol, I love them xDD So, thank _you._

**Elena-Unduli** : Hello there xD I am really glad to see at least one person appreciates all that talk. It's fun to write but I guess too much of it ruins the pace of a story. I don't know lol xD But I'm really glad you appreciate it.

As for my portrayal of Nakago, I realize I am walking over egg shells at the moment. This Nakago is kind of like the anime one but at the same time, different, or so I like to think. So there are chances that I might get carried away in all the romance and come up with an extremely out-of-character Nakago. Let me know when that happens :P

**Desert Renaissance** : Hahaha xD He's just too sexy for words. I love him tooh *-*

**Couple of things :**

~ I have been giving out extremely crappy chapter titles which sounded very funny then, but not so much now =\ I guess that's the effect of writing a semi-serious chapter for once. Well I think it was pretty serious, towards the end….do you? ._. I'll change the titles as soon as I get more suitable ideas.

~Another thing about 'my' version of Nakago, I noticed ( in case you're interested) : the Shogun suppressed his emotions while the businessman hasn't had a chance to exercise them in his new world. How sad.

Note to self : Must not turn cool villain into sappy dork by end of story.

~ Some of the dialogs in the flashback scenes are directly lifted from Seiran Den ( The novel on you know who xD) The scenes however are entirely made up. For the most part xD

._.

-empty brain-

Okay then ! See you till the next chapter Don't forget to leave reviews =D

No seriously xD Please XDD


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter VIII :** **Feelings and other Accidents**

Takamatsu-mura literally translated to "Pine-tree village". There was not a pine-tree in sight however. The travelers had reached there at the crack of dawn. Miaka, as usual, had tagged along with Chichiri, while Tasuki was left to deal with his horse and as far as their last companion was concerned, no one had heard a peep out of him since the previous night's card games.

Of course, it didn't help matters that Miaka herself had been studiously avoiding the fourth member of their team ever since the lake incident. But she couldn't help but notice that her job had turned considerably easy since the tall man had shown no indication _thus far_ that he had wanted to even _look_ in her direction, let alone speak with her.

If she were really honest with herself, it irritated her. It was around mid-day and his cold-shoulder was grating on her nerves. Mostly, of course, because it made _her_ cold-shoulder perfectly useless!

She stole a sneaky, casual glance at the rigid profile of the rider a few feet ahead . Actually, with his back turned to them, she didn't need to steal sneaky glances but somehow for inexplicable reasons, her face turned uncomfortably hot and her ears turned red every time she caught herself staring at him.

It was as if her glaring had had a physical effect on him that the taciturn blond man finally turned around to address Chichiri.

"Would you like to stop for the time-being? We will need time to plan the next course of action."

He didn't even spare her a glance. And there she was, literally having a panic attack at being caught in the middle of a covert espionage session. And what was that _would you like to stop!_ She mimicked his drawl in her mind. The jerk was being respectful to Chichiri while she had had to fight for her rights to take rest on a similar situation before.

They chose the first inn they found. Tasuki was extremely thankful and couldn't wait to go to sleep. An entire night of watchdog-ing had taken its toll on the poor bandit's otherwise exuberant nature. Miaka realized with a start, that Tasuki must have been really exhausted as it was very odd for him to conclude a journey with their former nemesis in silence without once insulting the other man.

The horses had been settled in, courtesy of Chichiri and well..Nakago.

Suddenly feeling very self-conscious , Miaka tried to follow Chichiri through the front door only to find herself directly behind the one person she had wanted to avoid. But it was an immense surprise to her when the blond spotted her as well and gave her a complete blank look before actually stepping away from the door to let her in first.

His controlled, well-mannered and politically correct demeanor never failed to unsettle her. She had to keep reminding herself that it wasn't the same person they had fought against in the Shijitenchiso.

She couldn't bring herself to even thank him.

Chichiri had gone to deal with the inn keeper this time leaving the other three sitting at a corner table.

Tasuki had,out of exhaustion, flopped his head on the table as soon as he sat ,earning a chuckle from his priestess. Miaka craned her neck around to see Chichiri dealing with the old inn keeper. She was glad Chichiri had taken the onus of the task this time. Nakago's way of doing things, while being extremely efficient, was always a bit hard to digest. She tried not to look at the man sitting directly in front of her as she let her thoughts hop and skip over the last few days.

_"Nakago-Sama!"_

_What the..._

Miaka turned around to greet a sight that she was completely unprepared for.

_Soi?_

The kimono-clad,demure figure was a far cry from the warrior who had been hell bent on frying the Suzaku seishi alive. Miaka's heart did a double-take as she took in the graceful,lithe form of the other..._woman. _When she wasn't shooting lightning bolts at people, Soi was _really_ pretty.

And completely devoted,it would seem.

The pretty Seiryu warrior had not spared a single glance at any of the other people present at the table, even though, _they,_ were gaping at her unabashedly. Her eyes were fixed on the lone, tall man sitting at the opposite end of the table.

_Speaking of.._

The man of the moment himself was as dumbfounded as the rest if his slightly widened eyes and rigid posture was any indication. The first two buttons of his shirt were open, Miaka noted absently.

"Hey isn't that the girl I-"

But before Tasuki could complete his sentence, he received a painful warning kick in the heels as his miko looked at him ,face alight with alarm, before whispering quickly in his ear :

"_Don't remind him!"_

Apparently, the whispered conversation of the Suzaku no miko and her seishi had not gone unheard by the blond warrior as he gave the pair one of his patent glares before standing up to greet his..._old flame?_

"Soi."

The other two watched with bated breaths as the tall, stoic man made his way towards the beautiful woman with the knee length, burgundy colored hair. Miaka had always wondered what kind of relationship the two had shared. In her previous life, Soi had openly declared her devotion towards Seiryu's chief Seishi. For someone, who was in love herself, she understood the depth of the other woman's passion for the seemingly reticent Seiryu general. It transcended beyond imagination, beyond explanation. It was intense,passionate, all-consuming. The female warrior had after all, given up her life to protect the man she had loved.

But what Miaka,as the curious observer, didn't know,was :_ How come?_

She wondered if the pair standing before them had shared the same kind of love she was grateful to be sharing with Tamahome. She wondered why someone would give their life up for love, that too for the sake of a person who was as..._.impure...uncouth..._.as the former Seiryu general had been. If anyone had asked Miaka to ,God forbid, save Tamahome's life with her own, she knew she would agree within a heartbeat. She couldn't imagine living without him. But Tamahome was..._Tamahome! _He had taught her how to love. He was so gentle, so caring, so _perfect, _she would happily give up her own life for him.

But _Nakago?_ She couldn't imagine him inspiring anyone like that. That too, inspire them enough, make them_ love_ him enough to give up their life willingly for him?

Her mind was filled with questions. Once again, she came face to the face with the fact that despite their on and off alliance, their nightly chats, their _constant_ bickering, he was a complete stranger to her. A complete and utter stranger about whom she knew nothing! Nothing! Even though she had pried. God knows she did try ! But still, he had always managed to keep her at arm's length. He had humored her when it suited him, he had helped her when she had needed help(albeit grudgingly), he had snapped at her...well..._all the time_, but still, he had not let her get one inch close to him.

Her eyes strayed back to examine the woman with the long braided hair. The woman who probably knew a thing or three about the man who had been plaguing her for a while now...With her soft eyes, long braided here, conservative clothes and delicate, feminine looks, Soi had never looked more approachable.

_Hmmm..._

"How...are you?" The familiar,deep baritone alerted the Priestess to her surroundings. The uncharacteristic streak of doubt in his voice was enough to raise anyone's eyebrows. And Miaka's hackles.

_No seriously! How are you? How are you? This is the first thing to say to the person who died to save your life? How are you? Get down on your knees immediately, Baka!_

…...is what she would have said,had it been any other person.

The petite Priestess of Suzaku almost snorted in disbelief if not for the fact that even though he was floundering at present, it was still the same person who had razed Tokyo Tower to the ground once and still retained the powers to do so twice.

But apparently, the reincarnated Soi did not share Miaka's view point on the lameness of her former lover. Her face lit up in obvious joy as the blond man came to stand in front of her.

_"You remembered!"_

_Well, duh..._

_He_ blasted people into smithereens and _she_ fried them alive. They were a match made in heaven.

Miaka kept that thought to herself too. Although, her mind whispered, somewhat snidely, that they did make, all things considered, a _strikingly_ beautiful couple.

"Do you work here?"

_Boy,are you awful at this!_

Chichiri had come back and had quietly taken up the Shogun's empty chair, unwilling to break the tension that the others _hoped_ was building...

"Not quite," replied the lady,simultaneously managing to smile,blush,lower her eyes as well as speak, "The inn keeper, Sakujun-sama and his wife ….Minako-san treat me like their very own daughter. They took me in,you see, when I was five. I am very happy here. How about you? I am...so glad..to see you here,Nakago-sama."

"I...am glad to see you too," came the reply, at length.

In Miaka's opinion, that was about the worst lover's reunion she had seen in a while. She looked around and caught Tasuki's bandit was openly smirking at his bowl of noodle soup which had arrived with Chichiri. Allowing her lips to form the slightest of smirks herself, Miaka returned her eyes back to her own food.

"Suzaku no Miko?"

_Uh oh._

At the mention of her name, Miaka looked up with a tentative smile towards the female Seiryu seishi who was currently done with all the blushing and was giving her former lover a look of utter disbelief.

Beautiful golden eyes, filled with uncertainty raked over the three figures sitting on the table before looking back up on to the face of her former superior.

Miaka was about to respond when the former Shogun beat her to it. "It's a long story. Would you like to join us?" His voice sounded so formal,so controlled...so _clueless.._..

In response he got a smile. A very sad, beautiful smile that Soi in her previous life had been prone to give every time he had disappointed her. In his quest for ambition, he had taken without asking,had commanded without explaining and had used without apologizing. Yet, she never did stop waiting for him. She had given priority to him over herself, had let him seek solace in her arms as he pleased, had obeyed his every whim without question. To the world, she had been one of the Seiryu Seishi, a warrior powerful and strong. But every time she had come to him, he would recognize the little girl with the large gold eyes that only saw him. Her devotion was something he had never been able to get used to. Mostly because he knew he didn't deserve it. It was pure and clear as sunlight. It was all consuming. She saw,heard and believed nothing but him. She never asked anything of him out loud but her silent eyes had always asked his permission for the one thing that he knew she wanted above all. To love, to cherish...and _to belong._ The day she did voice her wish out loud however, they were already booked for a one-way trip to hell...

Soi looked at the petite auburn haired woman sitting at the table and then returned her gaze back to her lord. "I have work," she said, "I wish you happiness, Nakago-sama. I prayed to Seiryu everyday so that he would grant you what you wanted. If you have it already, I am very happy."

Bowing, she left without waiting for an answer.

After standing still for a few seconds, the blond decided to slowly sink back to the available free chair as the rest of the team religiously concentrated on their own plates.

"I'll be right back."

_Indecisive, _Miaka's inner voice snorted.

* * *

><p>He found her in the back room behind the kitchen, ostensibly peeling a potato. But while he had never seen the insides of a kitchen in a long while, he had enough sense to know that it was onions that made one weep, not potatoes.<p>

"Soi."

The figure dropped her knife in surprise as she hastily turned her red-rimmed eyes at the newcomer.

"Nakago-sama!"

Ayuru glanced at the hopeful , albeit tear -brimmed eyes of the woman in front of him. He had no intention of breaking her heart, _especially_ hers.

They stood in awkward silence.

"Where are you headed?" she asked, breaking the silence.

"Sairoh and then Hokkan, we have to collect Shinzahos," he told her plainly. There was little point in hiding things from her.

"What about ..your-I mean, Yui sama's earring?" she asked.

He stared at her for a moment as if contemplating the right answer.

"It was easier, to come to Sairoh first."

Geographically,that was a stupid lie. But it was his unwillingness to confront the past that had landed them on such a convoluted,roundabout trip in the first place. Not that he would ever admit that out loud.

"I could accompany you," she ventured,voice full of hope, "if you want."

"It's a dangerous journey,we have demons, that even I don't know about, on our backs," he started saying but changed tack as soon as her face fell, "But I..._want_...you to come, if you will."

His own unease surprised him. He couldn't remember the last time he had felt so unsure of himself.

"Will you meet me tonight, at the stables?" she asked again, looking expectantly at his face, "I have so much to hear from you, but I'm afraid if I dawdle here too long,I'll be in trouble."

She smiled at him.

He nodded. "I'll leave you to your devices then."

As he got out of the kitchen, Ayuru of the modern world, felt a lot of things he had never had a chance to feel in his new life. Feelings he had actively suppressed in his old life. Meeting Soi had left him feeling peculiarly light.

He made his way back to their table only to find the others _gossiping_ in hushed voices. Of course that stopped as soon as he came, as the Suzaku no Miko and her trusted seishis surreptitiously avoided looking at him and concentrated on their food.

Except for Tasuki,who, it seemed ,had suddenly contracted a bad case of dry coughs.

"Excuse me," said the offending Suzaku seishi in question,with the air of a sophisticated debutante at a ball, "I seem to be having a problem with my neck."

Taking a bowl of soup and a loaf of bread from the center of the table, the erstwhile Shogun didn't bother to give the other man a glance before replying coolly, _"May__ I wring it for you?"_

The remaining two people at the table choked on their food in unison.

* * *

><p>He found her waiting for him at the front of the stables. Standing under an ancient sycamore tree with the moonlight softly highlighting her porcelain skin and beautiful features, the erstwhile Seiryu Seishi Soi made a very pretty picture.<p>

His heartbeat increased as she turned to face him. There was a bittersweet expression on that beautiful face that easily arrested anybody's attention. It made all the regret that he had carefully locked away pour forth.

"Do you like that world better?" She asked. He stood beside her as they both gazed out at the landscape.

He raised his shoulders to a very noncommittal shrug.

She turned to look at him fully. "You've changed."

The erstwhile general of Kutoh studied her face for the merest of moments before giving her a half-smile. "Isn't that a good thing?"

"Is it?" she challenged softly,regarding the stars above.

When the man beside her made no comments, she went on, "Everyday ever since I got back my memories,I prayed and prayed to Seiryu that he may lead me to you. I asked him every day, _when_ will I find my happiness. My previous life had been over before it even began. And now, I am afraid I will just fade away in oblivion waiting,_hoping! Does my devotion have no value at all, then?"_

Her voice broke as she turned to him, tears streaming plaintively down her face. His arms automatically lifted to comfort her. He felt numb inside, and exhausted. The weight of his past bore down on his shoulders like heavy blocks of lead as the woman on his arms wept her heart out on his shirt.

After a while she lifted her head. " Would you stay back here, with me?- _Onegai.._.."

He was perfectly aware that question would eventually crop up. But as much as he knew how much he owed to the beautiful female in his arms, giving up his current life was not a feasible idea at all. But did he, indebted as he was, have a right to choose?

"I wish I could say that was possible." It was the closest truth either Nakago or Ayuru had ever uttered to someone other than himself. He knew she deserved no less. No half truths,clever lies or artifice. If anyone had that much right over him, it was her.

He felt her stiffen in his arms and back away from him.

"**_Why not?_" **

Gold eyes that were tear brimmed up until a second ago flashed with icy rage.

"What is my compensation for giving up my life for you, Shogun-sama?"

He studied her face for a second. It was the first time she had ever spoken up against him.

**_"Answer ME !"_**

A sharp smacking sound pierced the tranquil night air. The tall, reticent man didn't even move a muscle as the stinging slap landed on his face. He simply looked down.

"Perhaps, I should take _your_ life and show you how it feels."

Her voice was emotionless as honey colored eyes gleamed with a strange light.

He held her gaze for the briefest of seconds before giving her a wry smile.

"My current life has little value in the face of all that you have done for me in the past. Even so,if killing me eases your pain,please go ahead," he said, "I can't name a single thing that I would miss."

Lifting her hand to lightly trace his face,she stood on tiptoes to place a feather-light kiss on the cheek she had slapped seconds earlier.

Her hand left his face and circled around his neck, gently coaxing him towards her to close the gap between their two bodies. Closing his eyes, he silently obliged.

"WHAT THE F**k ARE YOU TRYING TO DO?_ KILL HIM?_"

The loud voice that had interrupted them had definitely belonged to the bandit. Narrowing his eyes, Ayuru turned around to see both the Suzaku no Miko and her flame haired companion standing a few feet away from them, looking distinctly murderous.

He raised an eyebrow in silent question at the pair of them.

"She has a dagger in her hand," the Suzaku no Miko supplied matter-of-factly.

"Y-know what? She might not be your dead girl friend after all." Tasuki said, bringing out his tessen and frowning at the pair beneath the sycamore tree.

And before anyone had a chance to say anything further, a stream of fire erupted from the tessen as the Kokoro symbol flared to life in its place.

It was a matter of extreme luck that a shimmering blue chi shield appeared just in time to absorb the fire which would have burnt a lot of things into crisps.

* * *

><p>"I am going to <em>KILL<em> you if you dare aim that fan at her again." Gone was the calm, poised puppeteer who had taken pleasure in toying with the emotions of others. The aristocratic, tall blond man that stood before them was a picture of uncontrolled rage. His eyes flashed with undisguised fury. Murder was written all over his taut features as he glared at the flame haired bandit.

Tasuki was taken aback. While he couldn't particularly bring himself to care about the well being of the other man, the latter's uncharacteristic _blindness_ was surprising.

"But-"

"_**_Put it down_!**_ " the taut voice rang out with authority and ill-disguised anger.

The kokoro symbol which had been flashing brilliantly began to fade away as Tasuki lowered his Tessen and Chichiri (who had come out to investigate the ruckus) relaxed his grip on his staff.

But it seemed, for once, the erstwhile leader of the Seiryu Seishi had miscalculated.

The rage had consumed him so much, he realized it later than the others. In fact, it was their collective gasps of surprise and horror that alerted him that something was amiss. He felt moisture in his shirt, followed by a steady building pain in his abdomen.

It was surreal. To stand there, with a knife jutting out of his stomach. Even the recently closed wounds on his neck was beginning to tingle a felt himself exhaling slowly as composure reasserted itself, even at a time like this. His head was clear again. He turned to take a look at the woman standing behind him, with a sphinx like smile playing on his feature. With a calm detachment that surprised even him, came the realization that he wasn't angry at her. He could never have been angry at that face. If anything, he was angry at himself for being careless.

Without a word he sunk to his knees. He watched calmly, as the woman bent down beside him to extricate the now bloodied weapon from his back. He let her. He had more pressing matters at the moment to concern himself with.

"How does it feel, Nakago-sama?" a soft, lilting voice jeered somewhere above his head.

"Distinctly unpleasant." he told her casually. The even cadence in his voice giving no indication of the fact that half the blood from his body was either on his shirt or pooling at the ground near his feet.

The Soi look-alike smirked wider at this. "To think you of all people,would succumb to the weakness you never spared in others. Fitting isn't it?" Her tone had almost turn vicious, "That _you_ should die of a broken heart. You are heartbroken, aren't you? You better be, after all the trouble I went through to get a piece of your beloved…"

He had been concentrating more on keeping himself awake but he white hot anger poured through his veins as soon as the words sunk gave her a cold promising glance before turning to look at Chichiri,who had his staff raised and was ready to attack.

A figure materialized in the middle of the impromptu battlefield,beside the bloodied man on the ground and the woman next to him. A watery shield appeared out of nowhere effectively dispelling the chi blast that Chichiri had directed towards the woman seconds before.

"Tearing lovers apart _again_, are we Hojun?" It was a man with light azure colored haired that was brushed back as a single circlet adorned his head. His topaz eyes had an eerie demonic glint that made Miaka shiver involuntarily.

She looked around to see _Hojun_ and how well he was taking the situation.

"Hiko," the monk nodded curtly,frowning.

"Do you know this guy?" she asked her monk friend. He had taken his mask off before but she wished he would put it back on now. The harshness that had overspread his features was very unfamiliar to her.

"Yes," responded the Suzaku seishi in clipped tones, keeping his eyes firmly fixed on the newcomer, "But last when I saw him, he was _dead_."

"And whose fault was that?" The man asked,amused.

To her surprise, Miaka noted that Chichiri remained silent, as his breathing turned heavy and his stance became ramrod straight.

Sparing everybody a parting glance filled with mirth, the man and the woman disappeared in thin air.

The watery shield, that had deflected Chichiri's chi attack before, froze for an instant before all the water accumulated into a large blob of cannon ball proportions and flew straight to where the monk stood.

"_Move_ Chichiri!" called out Miaka urgently,as her friend made no moves to protect himself.

Her eyes widened in apprehension but just when the ball of inches away from hitting Chichiri's torso, Tasuki had made a beeline for his friend and both of them fell to the ground as the ball shot way over their heads.

* * *

><p>Ayuru's senses were threatening to shut down and he gave into the impulse of closing his heavy eyelids. And just as everything went black, he found himself making a mental note of never listing down any of the Suzaku seven or their miko as his emergency contacts. Obviously, they weren't good at acting spontaneously useful. In fact, they weren't any kind of useful. All three of them still stood in their place, shock still. Actually, two were on the ground and just one remained standing.<p>

_Idiots.._

* * *

><p>Miaka was having a terrible time in bed. She could not, regardless of how hard she tried, bring herself to get rid of the memories of the evening that played in her head , as if on an endless loop. It was way past midnight and she had tossed and turned for the greater part of the night before giving up hope altogether.<p>

She was angry. It was more aggravating though, to figure out what exactly she was angry at. At the blond jerk definitely, for being such an ass. There was no doubt in her mind that he got hit with that knife because of his own stupidity. And the way he had looked at them right when Tasuki was about to save him..._save him _! How dare he act like they were the enemy. The idiot !

_Men ! _She concluded grimly in her mind. All it took was one good looking female to walk up for them to stop using their heads entirely. And what do you know, even the seemingly coldest of the lot wasn't all that immune to his hormones either.

On that note she was also angry at herself for worrying to death over that _utter_ jackass.

_You're jealous,_commented a snide voice in her mind. Apparently now even her inner voice was beginning to sound like Soi. She had only seen the female seishi once but that distinctive confident, throaty, _bitchy_ voice was a bit hard to miss.

_H__ah,definitely __not__ jealous _! She retorted hotly in her mind. _But very, very, VERY angry!_

He was the one who was ready to desert the whole team and go his own way if his darling Soi, who he had just met, said so. He was the one ,who would rather let darling Soi stick a dagger up his chest than believe her. He was the one, who was currently unconscious and had shown no signs of awakening for the last five hours and guess who was awake and worrying still!

_Dear Suzaku, I want him alive and healthy again _,she thought viciously, _so I can kill him myself !_

Her ramblings were interrupted by a series of short, dry, punctuated coughs which emanated from the next room.

_Well that was fast._

She wondered if she should ask for something more useful than the blond jerk's speedy recovery, seeing as her patron deity was being so cooperative.

The coughs were longer this time . She turned on her side and put the side pillow over her head, shielding her ear. The water jug was right at his bed side table and he could very well fetch it for himself.

When the third round of coughing started, she _had_ to get up. It was irritating the hell out of her.

She marched in without a preliminary knock. Her mouth was pressed in a thin line as she barely spared a glance at the patient on the bed. The bandages across his chest, which had taken her an hour to put on, were steadily turning red.

Without a word she lifted the jar of water and pouring its contents into a nearby bowl made of burnt clay, she held it out to him.

If he found her behavior odd, for once, he didn't comment on it.

Sharp pain shot across his system like bolts of lightning as soon as he tried to get up. Biting back a harsh oath , he clenched his teeth and eased back on the bed.

"Thank you. Please put it down on the table, I'll drink it later."

She snorted. "Yea right !"

He watched in surprised amusement as the Suzaku no Miko put the bowl back on the rickety table , only to fetch a chair from the other end of the room. She set it down by his bedside with a louder than necessary thud and sat down on it with a stony expression that he himself would have been proud of.

Without a change in countenance, she took the bowl in her right hand while her left hand reached for his head. He knew what she was about to do and it surprised him to no end. But he played along anyway.

Carefully lifting his head slightly over the pillow, she tilted the bowl a little, right in front of his lips.

When he had drunk his fill, she set his head and the bowl back to their respective places, but elbowed him slightly in the process.

"Careful,I think that was my intestine."

She raised an eyebrow at him, her stony features hadn't relaxed in the least bit and if his chi sensing abilities weren't deceiving him, the Suzaku no miko was very close to losing the frail hold she had over her temper.

"Really? What are your intestines doing up in your rib cage? _Or is there something else she drove up your behind that we don't know about?"_she retorted waspishly.

Her clipped, sarcastic tone would have made a lesser man wince but he had to keep from chuckling at the sight in front of him. The petite miko was shooting him a venomous look that had enough force to put a dent on the Great Wall of China. Generally, she did get riled up at the slightest provocation from him and truthfully he enjoyed that. But he liked to know what happened before he took credit for it and this latest show of temper was a surprise even to him.

And did she just comment about his.._.behind?_

"Thank you for your concern, but my.._behind.._ and I are doing quite well actually. But just be careful next time you come near me with those pitchforks you call your elbows."

Her eyes narrowed as her face seethed with barely controlled rage.

"Don't _whine_," she snapped at him, "You didn't die when your dead girl friend put a knife through your chest , and you're most certainly not going to die when I'm nursing you."

_Ah..._

"You call this nursing?" he remarked with a bland face, "I suppose society should be thankful you didn't choose _healthcare_ as a profession then."

He closed his eyes as exhaustion overtook his senses once again. Entertaining as it was, this incessant banter with the miko was heavily taxing on his energy reserves. But it wasn't long before a random pillow hit him squarely on the face.

Calmly removing the wayward pillow from his face, he gazed up to see the miko staring at him. Her expression was a mixture of anger,exhaustion..._and were those tears?_

"Why did you not believe me when I said she was trying to kill you?"

He blinked at her once, twice. Of all the things he had guessed , she might be angry at him about, this was probably the last on his list.

His eyes hardened as he finally understood what was bothering her. Guilt. Unfortunately, it had very little effect on him.

"Well sorry for not believing the person, who _I know_, wants to kill me." he said calmly. His unflinching gaze held her eyes, as if daring her to refute what he said.

Her eyes hesitated for a second.

"You know what happened in the lake,don't you?" her voice was trembling but she did a good job of standing her ground.

" Oh,what a _stunning_ flash of insight, dear priestess," he remarked in the same nonchalant tone.

Ignoring the sarcasm, she lowered her eyes and gazed at the foot of the bed for a few seconds before slowly dragging her vision back to the man on the bed.

"Is that why you wouldn't talk to me all this time?" her voice was considerably lowered now and he had to strain his ears to hear her. "Because you thought _I betrayed you_? You didn't have the common sense to ask me _once _about it to clarify? What if there's a justification?"

He couldn't tell if his words had stung her pride or her misguided sense of friendship. Or possibly both.

He looked at her calmly for a second before replying with a half smile, "If there is a justification behind making a deal with a demon in exchange for someone else's life, I can't _wait_ to hear it."

She stood still for a few seconds before abruptly turning around and stalking out through the door without a word.

Genuinely irritated at having been ignored, he followed her.

* * *

><p>Her back was turned towards him as he approached her standing on the balcony outside her room. She gazed steadily upwards, seemingly admiring the night sky.<p>

"You should have believed me. And you almost murdered Tasuki. …Here I am giving you another chance-"

"_You,_ were going to give,_ me_ another chance." Smirking, he resisted the urge to shake his head as his lips curled upwards slightly in disgust….mostly at her naivete.

His hand shot out and seized her arm in a vice like grip. Before she had a chance to wince however, he had roughly turned her so she stood millimeters away from him, staring at his bandaged chest.

"Let's go inside," he said in clipped tones, "As it is I feel anemic, I have no wish to add pneumonia to that list as well."

Straightening, he released her arm and opened the door.

After a long time in her life, the Suzaku no Miko felt like she was back in the Principal's office waiting to be scolded for an infraction. The thought had her squirming in resentment like a rattled porcupine.

He walked to a nearby dresser and stood with his back to it before turning his attention back to her. One mocking eyebrow rose up as he gestured towards the bed.

She sat down on the edge of the bed. Her obedience did not deceive him in the least as he knew she was just saving her energy to yell at him over more important matters.

"So?" Having suitably used the distraction to reign in his temper, he saw no harm in inviting her to _blab _a second time.

She looked at him in mute defiance, her eyes were narrowed in a furious determination to remain as uncooperative as possible.

"So WHAT?" she snapped at him, concentrating on every thing else inside of the room except for his face.

He stalked over to the bed and towered over her, willfully encroaching on her private space.

He was so near she could feel his warm breathe somewhere around her when that smooth baritone voice rumbled again,her senses tingled to life.

"_What should I do with you_,Suzaku no Miko?" his voice sank to a low,baritone purr as he deliberately hovered inches away from her face.

Was he going to kiss her? Her overloaded mind started to come up with worst case scenarios. What person kisses other people right after insulting them anyway? And why was she not feeling any anger !

Perhaps he had realized how his closeness was affecting her or perhaps he had just read her mind. But she watched mesmerized as a lazy smirk overspread his handsome features as his eyes drifted casually to her lips, lingering there longer than what could be considered polite. After a few seconds which seemed like eons to her, he returned his attention slowly back to her eyes and held her gaze steadily, a knowing smirk playing in his lips...

She was pretty sure her face had heated up enough to boil an egg. She willed herself to stop blushing. This was the arch-enemy for crying out loud. She had to hold her own against him and looking like an overcooked lobster was not going to do the trick, her mental voice wailed.

Inching back as far as her spine would permit, Suzaku's chosen priestess arranged her features in what she hoped was a calm, dignified expression.

"Could you please step back a bit?"

The smirk on his face widened.

"Why?"

Now she was sure he was playing with her. Her composure slipped down a notch. But fortunately, her lack of confidence was suddenly over compensated with a surge of impulsive anger at once again being treated as an inferior.

Perhaps it was the adrenaline rush accompanying her impulsive anger...or maybe her brain had chosen to desert her just then... But it was definitely something, something foreign, which made her do what she did next :

Mirroring his smirk, she lifted her hand and placed it on his chest, letting it rest there for a millisecond. Right before pushing him forcibly back on the bed. Of course, she would not have been able to pull it off had it been any other day. But in his current state, despite his over-smart demeanor, he was weak. Weak enough, that is.

Their positions were reversed now and her hands were circling his neck, as if she were going to throttle him.

"Today is the wrong day for you to pick a fight, don't you think?_,"_ she smiled sweetly at her arch nemesis who for once, it seemed, was too surprised to come with one of his habitual wisecracks.

But the confusion probably lasted for a millisecond as confidence and sarcasm reasserted themselves on his features. " I thought you were trying to convince me that you didn't want to kill me." He raised an eyebrow at her, his mouth open in a curved half smile.

The priestess of Suzaku snorted in a manner that was very unbecoming of someone of her stature, especially in this world. "I kind of want to kill you, you know?" she said, still smiling sweetly, " But I'll wait for us to get back first."

"Too confident about your new-found powers aren't you?" he smirked at her.

Her face scrunched up in distaste at the memory but she said nothing.

"How about now?" He didn't even give her the chance to react as a strong hand pried her fingers apart from his neck and twisted her right hand right around her waist, holding her tight in an awkward embrace.

The Suzaku no miko lay dumbfounded for a second. She was splayed on top of her former enemy in a very suggestive manner, which would have suggested all the wrong things to any impartial third person. Their faces were hardly inches apart from each other and she had to strain her neck to keep her face from hitting his. Her bedridden patient had singlehandedly pinned her to himself by keeping a vice-like grip over her right arm which was currently trapped at an awkward angle somewhere around her waist.

He raised an eyebrow at her in silent challenge as the smirk on his perfectly sculpted features deepened.

"Let go!" she squeaked mortified, all her previous bravado having deserted her. She tried to wriggle out of his grasp but ended up elbowing him in the ribs, eliciting a low growl. Contrary to her hopes however, he didn't release her yet but she stilled her movements. It would be a sign of poor judgment anyway if she did end up killing the one person who could provide her the means to get back to her own world.

The smile didn't reach his eyes but his mouth twisted further in amusement. Lazily and with the confidence of someone who had never been refused, he began studying her facial features, with an intensity which was just designed to destabilize her composure completely. His eyes lingered over her hair line, her eye brows and then finally her lips.

Slowly lifting his head, he reached up to trace her soft pink lips with his own. Satisfaction coursed through his veins as she shivered at his touch and her lips parted slightly,of their own accord. He could see her confusion and growing alarm on her face. But there was also an unmistakable trace of curiosity in those huge hazel eyes.

She remembered something she had overheard, "Would you really not miss anything from our world?_Nothing_?"

He smirked at her. "No, let me revise that," he said in that lazy, baritone drawl which never failed to wreak havoc on her nerves," I would _really_ miss the Suzaku no Miko..."

His face looked grave as he uttered the words and her eyes widened in shocked surprise at the confession.

Exhaling, he slowly removed his hand from over her waist and eased himself back on the pillow.

She jerked her head away from his as soon as she felt the weight of his hand removing itself from her back. But something _…...magnetic_ …..kept her in her place.

That is, till he decided to open his mouth and ruin the moment altogether.

"...along with her seishi and their _combined_ incompetence..."

"_Jackass."_

Smirking, he gently lifted her off himself and got up to sit on the bed beside her.

"If and when this is over," he said, paying an inordinate amount of attention to the floor, "I am going to stay back and finish a business matter. You're free to go ahead of me, if you find out how."

"Going to visit her grave?" It wasn't remotely a question.

The Suzaku no Miko's astuteness caught him by surprise and he gazed up to see her standing in front of him with a victorious smirk plastered on her face.

Returning his gaze to the floor he heaved a mock-sigh and said, "I liked you better in bed, out of it, _you infuriate me_."

* * *

><p><strong>Notes from yours truly :<strong>

I am confused. Does anybody think that the bit between Soi and Nakago looks like they were/are in love? Because that most certainly wasn't my intention.

I wanted to show the depth of obligation Nakago feels towards Soi. I mean, her death must have hit him really hard the first time around seeing as he carried her everywhere etc etc

That apart,what do you think about this chapter,hmm? Sorry the chapters keep getting longer and longer. Its because I write every now and then,whenever the inspiration strikes and things keep adding of it is utterly whimsical and probably useless. Like the part about Soi under a tree : I really wanted to write the word 'Sycamore' XD

Also,I am no good with cliffhangers, as you may have probably noticed. xD

Anyway, please let me know what you think. questions, comments, criticisms, even a 'hello' makes me very happy :)

Thanks to **Dessert Renaissance,Honey,Leo,Jacky,KittyLynne **and **Flashyfirebird** for the reviews since my last update. Thank you so much guys xDD

**Desert Renaissance** : You just want her to see some skin? I want them to get together and have kids already xDDDDDDDD LOL but all in good time I guess :D

**Honey** : I have been good thank you,hope you've been fine too xDD and that title is too generous and completely wasted on me. I can think of atleast a dozen authors here in it self whose works I admire and envy xDD But thanks though, I'm glad you like it

**Leo** : Hello, thanks for the review :D I'm glad you enjoyed the previous chapter,hope you'll like this one too

**Jacky** : Hi, hope you like this chapter xD

**KittyLynne** : Thank you so much for the concrit. You made some excellent points in chapter 3. The second one had me thinking for quite a while and I realized I had completely twisted the meaning of a word to suit my means. I have revised both sentences :D

**Flashyfirebird** : Hello xD Thank you so much for the reviews.I love hearing from you guys,so whenever you find time, is fine by me :D

I thought Ayuru, given his history, would be sympathetic to children in his own stoic way. I'm glad you didn't find it odd. Emiko is my not-so-secret-anymore semi-key figure in a sequel story I might be writing after this xDD I hope your question about Hiko was answered here. He features in the 2nd ova actually and is part of Chichiri's backstory.

What water-jet? - oh look it's a UFO !- XDDDDDDDDDDD kidding xDD But thank you for reminding me of xDD I added a single line in this chapter so hopefully that loose end is tied up a little bit.

As for Ayuru's powers coming and going, I mentioned in the last chapter that these powers were replicated and bestowed upon him by Tenkou who takes great satisfaction in toying with his ex-devotee ( alleged devotee that is, I never saw Nakago as truly believing in Tenkou, even at the height of his hatred for everything else)

I don't see Miaka saying that dialogue in the 5th chap either =\ -modifies it- Thanks for pointing it out.

Do you think I go too much in depth with Ayuru's character though? By now I have realized,I enjoy writing about the characters' internal monologues and feelings and literally race through descriptive scenes which are equally important. =\ Does anyone find it irritating? Let me know.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter IX : Of Meetings , Partings and Marriages  
><strong>

The sky was barely tinted with the softest of reds. It was too early even for the birds to start their morning opera but the silent, unmoving man on the bed was wide awake as he steadily gazed out into the horizon, unblinking.

He really, _desperately_ needed to…

Before the thought could be completed another bolt of pain shot through his torso, earning a slight frown from the patient. It was a pity they were stuck in a time where the concept of pain killers hadn't even entered in to imagination, let alone existence. Quietly, he assessed his injury. There was a dull throbbing soreness all over his rib cage. His assailant had missed his heart by inches. But the shooting streak of pain that ran across his system every now and then was the bigger problem because he couldn't keep his face from twitching every time he felt it. As a businessman in the modern world full of amenities, Gi Ayuru was woefully out of practice when it came to handling any kind of inconveniences.

And of course he still really,_ desperately,_ _**terribly**_ needed-

Making up his mind, he sat up. He had to bite his lip to recover from the accompanying sting in his chest which had followed as soon as he lifted his head. A new shirt had been placed for him at the foot of the bed by someone. Putting the shirt on himself, he haphazardly did a couple of buttons before striding out through the door. He was not in the best of moods and therefore couldn't care less about his appearance. And there was no comb in the room either.

Most importantly, he needed a-

It was easy to locate the thing, or well, person he had been looking for. Reaching his hand to turn the door knob, he found it locked. But that was nothing a small and discrete _chi blast_ couldn't take care of. The lock broke with a small popping sound. Pushing the door open, he eyed the figure sound asleep on the bed. A perfect blond eyebrow rose in habitual mockery as he made his way inside the room. Not that he had any business gathering information on any of the Suzaku seishi or their dear miko's sleeping habits, but the form that was currently managing to hog the entire bed in a careless placement of limbs and pillows could have only belonged to someone extremely carefree. Typical.

For a few seconds, he mildly entertained the idea of ripping the sheets off from the bed and give the sleeping person as rude an awakening as he could invent. It took a few more seconds to categorize and therefore abandon the temptation as childish and beneath his dignity.

So, he settled for shaking them to wakefulness.

Tasuki was NOT a morning person. So, when he felt that strong, persistent and cold hand on his shoulder,he wanted nothing more than to_ blast _ it's owner to oblivion.

"What the-"

Turning around, he glared from under his sheets to find an equally irate looking face peering down at him with a distinctly impatient look.

_Oh crap! Just had to see __him__ first thing in the morning. There goes the day.._

"What do you want?" Tasuki got up and took a good look at the other man. It was surprising to see _Nakago_, so…not perfect? He snickered mentally at the thought, deriving an inordinate amount of pleasure at his arch enemy's discomfort. Blonde hair which was usually _coiffed_ to perfection, was sticking out at odd angles. His shirt was barely buttoned and the cuffs had been rolled back very carelessly. In short, it seemed their former arch enemy was completely out of his element. Though, it was cause for concern that the bastard was already up and about on his feet at the crack of dawn. Possibly, the knife didn't hit as hard as one could hope…_that is_…as hard as one would think…

"What do you want?" he repeated, adding slyly, "Don't let the hair fool you, I am not Soi , so _get the f**k out of my bedroom." _

Ayuru's eyes drifted calmly to the flower vase which sat on the nearby dresser before drifting lazily back to the face of his reluctant companion. Exhaling, he put a stopper on the growing homicidal tendencies which were threatening to break free before calmly framing his question.

"Do you have a pipe?"

Tasuki blinked at the tall man standing beside his bed in a manner which suggested the latter had asked for penguins.

"You woke me up at the crack of dawn _so you could smoke__?" _Tasuki asked incredulously of the former Seiryu seishi. "And what makes you think that _I smoke?_"

Really,just because he wielded the Tessen ,random idiots always came up to him looking for a light. But for the great and omnipotent Seiryu general Nakago to make the same mistake was a bit hilarious.

Pulling the sheet up over his face to hide his growing smirk and reclining back on the bed, he dismissed his early morning visitor in a gleeful voice, "Chichiri smokes, not me. Go bother him."

Ayuru was almost at the door when a chuckle from the bed stopped him.

"Last night was _precious_, by the way. Ahahaha..You should have seen your face when she drove that knife through you. I almost like her now !"

Ayuru didn't have to turn around to know that the bandit was thoroughly enjoying dangling his mistakes in front of him. The fact didn't anger him especially since it was true. He did make a lapse in judgment the previous night.

_Nonetheless…._

Calmly, he walked out and shut the door behind him with a soft snap. Two seconds later, the sound of a small explosion occurred as a very loud and surprised expletive reached his ears, making him smirk.

The flower vase had exploded in its place, showering the bed and its occupant with thousands of tiny pieces of clay.

Ayuru made his way down the hall to his next destination. The smoker monk.

* * *

><p>Not unlike a certain someone else in their group, Chichiri hadn't been able to sleep as well. He had spent the better part of the previous night reminiscing. On things that were and things that could have been.<p>

_A journey of enlightenment by a regretful monk...isn't that why Taaitsukun had called it?_

So many years had passed since the flood of the Shoryuu river. But _had _Ri Hojun come any closer to enlightenment?

His mind drifted back to the events of the night before. Seeing Hikou in the flesh broke the dam that he had built on his own heart over the years. The accompanying surge of locked emotions had been enough to render him immobile.

_"Give her…Give her back to me!" _

Suzaku's chosen monk could still hear the waters roaring around them, their force enough to tear apart anything that stood in the way. But even the raging torrents had not been enough to wipe away the seed of corruption that had already taken root in his heart.

_"….Hojun. Help…me…" _

He turned his lone right eye at the door. He didn't need to use his chi sensing abilities to figure out who it was striding towards his room.

As the lock turned, in walked a sight that made even Chichiri quirk his mouth a little. But if he found anything wrong with the former Seiryu General's appearance, he chose not to comment on it. Instead, inclining his head slightly, he gave the other man a silent welcome.

"Good morning," said Ayuru, a little bit surprised to find the Suzaku monk quiet awake." I need to smoke," he continued without preamble. Even though, out of all the Suzaku warriors, he did hold a modicum of respect for the monk, it was in no way enough for him to indulge in small talk.

"Here," replied the monk, handing out a small pouch ,which no doubt contained his own stash of pipes and tobacco.

Nakago of the Shijintenchisho had scrupulously avoided any addictive habits. Not because he had been conscientious or law abiding, but simply because he had given priority only to his goals, disregarding every thing else which might have been a weakness or a hindrance.

In this regard, Ayuru of the modern world had a lot to learn. They were, in essence, one and the same person. But in reality, Ayuru had never felt the passionate need that drove and motivated the Shogun. And retaining his memories and experiences from the Shijintenchisho made sure he remained too cynical and detached to make any changes to his otherwise unmotivated existence.

The tobacco was unfortunately , too pure and therefore too strong. So instead of continuing and lapsing into a fit of coughs, he doused the pipe,choosing to hold off his desires till he got back to his...the modern world.

"I assume you would like to interrogate me about Hikou as well?" the monk calmly asked of the former general. Ayuru glanced at the seemingly benign face of the Suzaku seishi infront of him.

"I have no interest in who he is,"he replied noncommittally, "I only need to know how to eliminate him."

Besides, he considered himself to be the last person who had any business delving into other peoples' pasts. His own was entertaining enough.

Looking out into the horizon, the monk meditated on the situation for a few seconds before replying pensively, "I would have an answer to that, if not for the fact that he had been already dead."

The monk's answer did not surprise him by much actually.

"Tenkou," he said, " is a creature who feeds on negative emotions. And of course, being consigned to hell permanently with other souls who have led hitherto.._unsatisfied._..lives, it makes sense for him to have employed the dead to do his work. Perhaps on promise of either life or vengeance.."

Chichiri looked sharply at the stoic man who had been looking out towards the morning sky, no doubt, analyzing possibilities in his mind. _But how had he known?_

As if sensing his unvoiced question, the blonde man looked towards his companion, "It is just a guess. Opportunities like this which allow people a second shot to do things over, rectify mistakes or even deal with unfinished business , can be considered as very lucrative...and hard to come by. Anyone would jump at such a chance."

"You are probably right," replied the monk at length, "They both reeked of death. ….Lady Soi as well. I am sorry."

"That wasn't her."

"Oh?"

"But probably someone who does have a bone to pick with …me."

"Any ideas?"

"If I started making a list of the names of people I may have wronged in my past life, it's going to take a while."

He was surprised to find the utter lack of remorse in his own voice . He had known it all along of course. At the end of the day, Seiryu no Seishi Nakago, commanding general of two thirds of the troops of Kutoh, was still a soldier. And he was no stranger to the trade offs that occurred between success and conscience.

* * *

><p>"<em>Women are such capricious creatures, ne Miru-san?"<em>

_The woman who was calmly combing out her flowing burgundy tresses in front of an statesque and ornate mirror didn't bother turning around to greet her visitor._

"_You are displeased, Hikou-sama?"_

_The tall man behind her curled his lips in a mirthless smirk. _

"_Much as I like prolonging the deaths of my victims, letting the Seiryuu Seishi go with just a minor scratch,seems an utterly wasted exercise to me."_

_The beautiful woman sitting on the low stool in front of him lifted her large golden eyes to his. _

"_I have my reasons," she smiled at him pleasantly._

"_Which are?"_

"_Very similar to the ones which made you stay your hand from killing Suzaku no Seishi Chichiri when you had the opportunity,my Lord" she said, in her rhythmic voice._

_Finally done with her hair, she raised herself from the stool and turned to face the tall, irate man in front of him. But instead of addressing him, she looked at the wall behind them._

"_You may come out now Yousui," she smiled pleasantly, "I believe you have eavesdropped on our conversation long enough.."_

_A third figure materialized inside the room as soon as the words left her lips. In appearance, it seemed that he had just entered manhood. Bowing to the two in the room, he directed his first words to the other male._

"_My humblest greetings," he said bowing low, "but I couldn't help over hear your conversation, Hikou-sama. And if I didn't know any better, I would say that you were actually worried about that Seiryu warrior. Even though, he is just a mortal..."_

_The man called Hikou frowned at the comment. "Quick to your sister's defense,aren't you, Yousui?"_

_Yousui, smirked but said nothing._

"_I still think Miru should have killed the bastard as soon as she had a chance."_

_Yousui, who looked very different from his sister, with his azure hair and teal colored eyes, smirked at the taller man, "All in good time, I assure you Hikou sama. Can we really blame Miru ni-sama , if she wished to entertain herself? After all, what good is eternity to us if we can't spend it at will?"_

"_That is not the point, Yousui-"_

"_I understand your concern perfectly," replied Yousui, smiling calmly, " But as far as Seiryu no Seishi Nakago is concerned, fear not. The Suzaku no Miko defeated him once, and she will defeat him again...with a little aid from us, of course.."_

"_And what of Tenkou sama?" asked the lady, "Does he approve?"_

_Turning to his sister, Yousui nodded, smiling still, "Of course. It suits his tastes perfectly to torture them with as much misery as our imagination can contrive...before killing them altogether, that is."_

* * *

><p>It was hours past mid day and the company had been traveling for quite some time searching for the Shrine of Byakko. As they made their way under the fierce desert sun, each member was lost in their own thoughts.<p>

No one marveled at the irony of their situation more than Ayuru. The last time the Shogun of Kutoh had set foot in Sairoh, he had singlehandedly brought about a lot of death and destruction.

Not to mention the first summoning of Seiryu had been in Sairoh and the country had taken years to recover after the earthquake that had occurred as a result of the summoning. He didn't look forward to meeting the remaining seishis of Byakko as he doubted they would welcome the person responsible for the death of their fellow warrior with open arms. And most importantly, the incessant _talking_ from the rest of his teammates was giving him a major headache.

"_Chichiri, how far are we from Tokaki's house?"_

– "_Another half hour or so,you know."_

– "_Why are we taking him with us? Tokaki and Subaru aren't going to be thrilled."_

– "_They will have to appeased,you know."_

– "_We could have left him bleeding to death in that inn. And after he died,we could have chopped him to tiny bits and then scattered the remains. That way,everyone would have been happy."_

– "_Concentrate on your horse,Tasuki. You'll fall off if you're not careful."_

– "_HA-as if."_

Tasuki's homicidal ramblings brought a smirk to Miaka's face. She had been musing on the story of the Byakko no Miko, Suzuno Osugi. Their backgrounds were pretty similar, Suzuno's and hers. They both had fallen in love with one of their seishis. She had later heard the circumstances of Suzuno-san's death from Keisuke. The strength of the love that the Byakko priestess had harbored for her protector Tatara had bought sympathetic tears to Miaka's eyes. Even when living worlds apart, each bound by their own duties, their love had transcended life and death. As soon as the last breath had left from Tatara's body his immortal soul had rushed to the deathbed of his beloved, eager to be reunited at last. Such was the strength of their love.

On occasions, Miaka had wondered why Byakko, the White Tiger of the West, the God of righteousness had denied his own children their happiness. On reflection, it made her very thankful about her own fate.

"Look! We're here."

* * *

><p>The small cottage which was the home of Byakko no Seishi Tokaki and Subaru, was minutes away from the Shrine of Byakko.<p>

Miaka had her doubts about greeting Tokaki because she still couldn't fully shake away the aged Byakko seishi's incessant attempts to come between Tamahome and herself. She remembered Shi-Feng, their adoptive daughter and wondered if the girl had married yet.

"Suzaku no Miko ! Chichiri ! You, _what's you name,_ boy? Welcome !"

"It's Tasuki," grumbled the bandit, not appreciating the fact that Tokaki only forgot his name.

"TASUKI! Of course! Welcome, welcome."

When Subaru followed her husband out of their door, she was very pleasantly surprised to see the Suzaku no Miko and her fellow seishi waiting on their door step. She made a beeline for the younger woman and hugged her first.

"How have you been, Miaka?" asked the lady kindly. They said, it took a woman to understand the feelings of another woman. And Subaru's experienced eyes could not be deceived at all as she took one glance at the petite Suzaku priestess and thus gleaned a very clear idea of the emotional and physical stress the girl had been going through for the past few days.

"Come," she said ,gently pulling her, "Let the men do what they want. We will talk inside."

But before they could set foot inside the house, it was Tokaki's booming voice, replete with anger, that made every one turn around.

"WHAT IS_ HE_ DOING HERE ?"

Miaka sighed. They had all seen this one coming. Tasuki was smirking as Chichiri stood ramrod straight, ready to break up any fight that might occur. The stoic,tall blonde, who had been the subject of Tokaki's angry outburst, however, looked perfectly at peace with the rest of the world as he stood beside his horse.

_"Nice to meet you too, Byakko no Seishi, Tokaki."_

Even Chichiri flinched a little bit at the all-too-familiar, flippant,mocking tone. But before Tokaki could do anything, Chichiri interceded.

"Tokaki sama, Nakago is here to help us now."

-"Chichiri, I don't like to think of you as stupid, but you're giving me nothing to work with here," growled the aged but still daunting Tokaki, "He is here to _help_ you? Is he going to help you the same way he helped _Tatara_ last time he dropped in?"

"Anata-," began Subaru nervously,"I think we should-"

"_You_ stay out of this,Subaru!"

And that's all it took for Byakko no Shichiseishi Subaru, wife of Tokaki, to completely lose her temper over her spitfire of a husband.

_"LISTEN TO WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY BEFORE YOU JUMP DOWN THEIR THROATS,WILL YOU?"_

The normally serene and pleasant old lady was all but fuming at the mouth. Her impressive display of temper had not only stopped her own husband in his tracks, but even Ayuru stared at her with a mild hint of a growing respect.

"So?" asked Subaru of Chichiri, taking matters into her own hands. But the Suzaku monk was so completely dumbfounded at how easily Subaru managed to switch from caring old granny to an angry caged tiger in the space of a few seconds, that he sent a vacant look at the ex-Shogun. In return however, he got a _very_ emphatic shrug. It seemed for all his bravado,the former Shogun was even less inclined to answer than him.

Seeing the grown men having turned to complete wimps in her presence assuaged Subaru's temper a bit and she relented. "Fine, come inside, have some food and then we'll talk."

Taking Miaka's hand, she led them all inside. Behind her were Chichiri and Tasuki. Tokaki stood at the door and waited for his wife to be out of earshot to turn his attention back on the offending Seiryu warrior.

_"You_ are not welcome in _my_ house."

Resisting the urge to shake his head, Ayuru simply smirked at the man in a way which suggested 'I-figured'.

"Please take care of the horses while I take a stroll then."

"Don't you dare set foot inside the sacred Shrine, or you won't live to regret it," called Tokaki after him as he started walking in the direction they had come from.

Ayuru didn't bother to answer the irate man as he walked in search of the lake they had passed by earlier. Finding lakes in a desert country was a rare blessing and he needed a dip or two to cool his mind. Also, his wounds had dried faster, thanks to his seishi powers so he needed to clean himself and dispose of the bandages too.

* * *

><p>As soon as Tokaki stepped inside, the first one to accost him was his wife.<p>

"Where is _he_?" Subaru glared at her wayward husband.

"Went to take a stroll," shrugged Tokaki, carefully avoiding his wife's questioning glance.

"You had nothing to do with it, did you?" his wife, narrowed her eyes at him.

"Of course not."

The food was being passed around. After the travelers had eaten their fill (except for Miaka who was not even half way done), Tokaki finally turned to the priestess of Suzaku to let loose the questions which had been on his mind ever since he found the travelers on his doorstep.

"Where is Tamahome,Miaka?"

The question brought a smile to Miaka's face. "In our world. Waiting. We're engaged, by the way," she said, pulling out the locket from her neck which kept her ring secure.

"Still?" smirked Tasuki, earning a death glare from his priestess.

"We will get married after three more years." She was not even going to attempt explaining graduation to the present audience.

"That's good to hear then. I am glad, he did reincarnate into your world after all," said Tokaki, smiling wryly. He must have been remembering the same memories as Miaka.

"As for Shi-Feng,"he said, voicing her unasked question, "You will be happy to know she is very happily married and we are expecting our first grand child this month."

The two women beamed at each other in happiness.

"We are here," interrupted Chichiri, looking meaningfully at Tokaki and Subaru, " to collect the Shinzaho of Byakko."

"Again," supplied Tasuki, smiling apologetically at the pair.

Nodding his head, Tokaki addressed the Suzaku monk, " Might I ask ,_ why_?"

"Tenkou is at large," said Chichiri looking at the elder seishi straight in the eye, " The first cycle of summoning the four Gods is complete. So he is going to jump start a new one, and this time he will make sure that one of the wishes from the priestesses ensure his God-hood as well. As of now, the Shinzahos are therefore, in great danger of falling into the wrong hands and being abused."

"But he needs priestesses and Seishi for that. They just don't drop down from heaven at will."

As if on cue, four pair of eyes landed on Miaka,who had been about to take a dumpling from the platter of snacks.

"Umm-"

Tokaki looked back at Chichiri, surprised. "He doesn't think Miaka will be able to summon the Gods again,does she? It's unprecedented for one priestess to complete the summoning of one beast God and live to tell the tale. Trying to summon another God seems like a death wish to me."

"I think we can all agree, that by summoning Suzaku and still not getting devoured by the beast God, Miaka as the priestess of Suzaku has broken a lot of records already," replied Chichiri, eyes shining in pride.

Miaka looked away from the group. Finally she was beginning to understand a lot of things. The pieces were finally falling into place. She remembered Tenkou's deal by the Blue Lake. She had known even then she was going to regret it later. So, that was the plan. Tenkou was going to eventually make her summon one of the beast Gods. But why was Nakago here then...

"And why is that Seiryu bastard here with you then?" Once again, Tokaki voiced questions Miaka had wanted to know as well.

Chichiri looked gravely at Tokaki. "Perhaps Tenkou wanted a former servant back? And he fills the Seishi requirement as well."

"And you still trust him to do the right thing?" Tokaki raised an eyebrow at the Suzaku monk.

To everybody's surprise, it was Miaka who answered this question.

"It's in his best interest to do so," she said, her eyes sparkling with the intuitive knowledge that took people around her by surprise sometimes, " This is not his world any more. And if he wishes to return to his-_our_ world, he needs to keep me alive."

* * *

><p>As their group of five consisting of Tokaki,Subaru,Miaka,Chichiri and Tasuki prepared to head to the Shrine of Byakko, it was a surprise when only Tasuki managed to remember that one of their members was conspicuously absent.<p>

"Hey,where did the blonde bastard go?"

"Strolling," replied Tokaki in a monotone, deigning to elaborate the point further.

"Well then go look for him and bring him back,"his wife looked at him pointedly, " I doubt they will want to delay after they get the Shinzaho."

"Why _ME_?" outraged, Tokaki looked at his wife, unable to understand what had made her so disagreeable all afternoon.

"Actually-," Miaka interrupted the two, "Let me. You guys can go ahead and collect the Shinzaho, I'll look for him."

"But Miaka," said Tokaki, looking at the beloved of his former student, " You don't even know where he went."

"All the better," she shrugged with a smile, " I needed some time to just walk around and think for myself."

The others were worried but at the same time they understood the burden which she had been carrying around for days. So ,after an overly exaggerated and cheery good bye, they let her be, promising to come back as soon as they got the divine object from the shrine of Byakko.

To her surprise, and little disappointment, she found him soon enough. The bastard had been _bathing_.

Well in all honesty, the man was buttoning up his shirt by the time she arrived but still the mere thought of what he might have been doing before she came made her blush enough to rival a beetroot.

"Hello, Michael Phelps," she said, raising an eyebrow at him.

"Hello useless," he returned, without bothering to look at her.

At any other time, that comment might have earned him a scathing retort within seconds if not for the fact that the priestess of Suzaku was too preoccupied with her arch enemy's hairstyle.

Obviously he had combed with his hands but the result was too breath taking to not notice. His hair was completely back brushed and since it was still wet from his swim earlier, it gave him a very sophisticated _jelled_ appearance. It was very different from the way he looked usually, with his bangs covering his his forehead partially. Not a single hair was out of place. His forehead which was completely free of bangs now, was smooth and straight, accentuating his highly chiseled featured, giving him the aura of a man of authority: someone who compelled your obedience without even asking. All he needed now was a tuxedo to complete the utterly classy and casually elegant look.

_Oh Tamahome, why aren't you here coming out of a lake looking too sexy for words..._

_You might want to take your eyes off him sometime soon.._.her mental voice commented snidely.

Giving herself an internal shake, she kept her voice neutral, "What's with the hairdo?"

Looking at her, he gave her one of his trademark smirks, "No comb."

_Of course._

"Does it displease you?" he was smiling much too confidently to expect an answer in the affirmative however.

Shaking her head, Miaka flopped down on the small boulder over looking the lake. "Couldn't be bothered."

He smirked.

"Tenkou," she said, breaking the pregnant silence after a while, "wants to use me as a priestess to summon one of the Gods again, to fulfill his dream of being a God."

"You found that out _now_?"

Ignoring his comment, Miaka trained her eyes on the peaceful waters of the lake. "He took a drop of my blood. What is he going to do with that?"

"I don't know. You should have asked him that _while_ he was doing it."

She glared at him. "Are you being deliberately unhelpful?"

"No," he replied pleasant, "I have been very helpful lately. Given you're the person who might eventually end up being the cause of my demise, _a second time_, I have been extremely helpful and courteous to you."

She rolled her eyes. "Let go of that already. You know I didn't sell you out back there. I bought myself more time. If I didn't agree, I would have died there."

He said nothing.

Encouraged by his silence, she ventured again, "The others think Tenkou needs a priestess ,which would be me, and a seishi, which would be you, in order to complete the task. Will you aid him?"

"I have no reason to."

"Then will you help me defeat him?"

"I guess."

"Should I trust you?"

Inhaling, he concentrated on rolling his shirt sleeves to the elbow. After taking an unnecessarily long amount of time folding and rolling each sleeve meticulously, he turned to face the expectant eyes of the Suzaku no Miko.

"If I tried to convince you, you wouldn't believe me. So I am not even going to try. Think what you will. But I would like to return to my comfortable life. And I am going to do everything I can to bring about that particular future. That's all."

The Suzaku no Miko looked at the proud,unbending profile of the man in front of her. He was right. She had pushed him a lot in the last few days, doubting his every intention and he knew it. But with good reason, her mind reminded herself.

Getting up she said to him, "Let's go,I came here to fetch you. We will leave as soon as the others return with the Shinzaho."

* * *

><p>The walk back had been conspicuously silent with Miaka not to keen on inviting more ruthless truths from the ex-shogun and the latter being just characteristically difficult.<p>

By the time they had reached Subaru and Tokaki's cottage, the others were already there.

"Look!" said Tasuki excitedly, handing his miko the hand mirror Suzuno Osugi had used when she had first come into the Shijintenchisho. The small mirror which Tatara had guarded with his own magic, keeping it inside his earring, had survived decades without a scratch. "Now all we need is the Shinzaho of Genbu from Touran city, which me and Chichiri can get for you. And the Shinzaho of Seiryu which _this_ bastard here can help you with. And you're good to go."

"Wait," asked Miaka nonplussed, "You and Chichiri are going to Hokkan by yourselves? When was this?"

Her panicked mind went on overdrive at the prospect of being alone again with their former enemy. Not that she feared for her safety any more, but the man was just so damn _unsocial._

"Yes," said Chichiri, "I am afraid we have to save time, you know. It's already been more than a week since your arrival. We can't expect Tenkou to sit and wait patiently while we take our time gathering Shinzahos."

"But-"

"Don't worry, we will join you in Kutoh as soon as we retrieve the Shinzahos,you know."

"KUTOH? You're sending me to _KUTOH?_ With _HIM?_" She stared at her friend in disbelief.

"I had a feeling he was losing his touch," someone, presumably Tokaki commented from the background.

Chichiri ignored every body else and concentrated on the face of his priestess.

"Okay," Miaka replied morosely, looking down. She was dissapointed Tasuki and Chichiri wouldn't be coming with them...to Kutoh. And she didn't even bother hiding her disappointment. Not that her lack of enthusiasm was going to affect the Seiryu Shogun but still...

"well then," Chichiri finally smiled, "Off we go!"

This time both Miaka and Tasuki gasped in unison.

_"RIGHT NOW?"_

"Before you go," a deep and very recognizable voice addressed Chichiri, "Where is the Shinzaho of Suzaku?"

"There isn't any," replied Chichiri," At least not that we know of."

The monk looked at his priestess in a very calculative way for the fraction of a second before returning his gaze back to the ex-Shogun. While that look may have been missed by the rest of the occupants of the room, it certainly caught the attention of the former Shogun. Deciding to analyze the possibilities of this complication at a later date, the taciturn Seiryu warrior simply nodded at the monk. "Understood."

"And what of the Seiryu Shinzaho,eh?" Tokaki asked of the reticent seishi he had taken a sturdy dislike to.

Although, Tokaki's gruff behavior was beginning to grate on his nerves a little bit, Ayuru had to draw on his strengths as a seasoned businessman to keep his face neutral.

Then in the tone he generally used to placate some of the more fidgety clients at the company, he addressed Tokaki calmly, "While I know that the Shinzaho was created, I can't guarantee its current whereabouts. The Suzaku no Miko, if she chooses to come with me, and I will start looking from the Kutoh Palace itself as that is where the primary shrine of Seiryu is located."

"Oh," a bit caught off-hand by the efficient and to-the-point and_ polite_ answer, Tokaki felt compelled to reply in kind, "Well, that sounds like a plan then. Good luck."

Smiling wryly, the tall, aristocratic Seiryu seishi gave the elder man a slight bow of acknowledgement.

* * *

><p>Their parting had been gloomy and Miaka did her best to not break down into tears as she bid good bye to Tokaki and Subaru. Chichiri and Tasuki had left in the direction of Hokkan and now she was left to fend herself with ( and occasionally against) the most anti-social,taciturn and difficult man in her acquaintance.<p>

The thought had left her in such a doleful mood that she didn't even protest at the prospect of sharing a horse with him. Instead, when he did bring the horse out to the front and held out his hand, she just accepted it and climbed up without a fuss, throwing a sad look at the small cottage and its inhabitants who stood at the door to see her off.

As the sun set and the shadows grew, the two travelers atop their steed journeyed in complete silence. In fact, with the slow pace of the horse and cool but humid night breeze, she didn't even realize when her eyelids had turned heavy and she had sagged backwards and had promptly fallen asleep on her former arch enemy's chest.

* * *

><p>She had been dreaming about a rocking armchair when a baritone and distinctly masculine voice whispered in her ear,"Much as I am enjoying this, <em>would you mind waking up<em>?"

The voice made the fine hair on her neck stand on their ends and as soon as she registered who the owner of the voice was, she all but jumped off the horse, springing like an electrocuted kangaroo.

"Don't _do_ that, pervert!" she scowled, turning her neck to face him.

"And of course, sleeping with the enemy hints at an _extremely_ strong sense of morals."

_"WHAT !_" she spluttered, outraged that he would say something like that, "I was_ not_ sleeping _with_ you, I was sleeping _on_ you! How dare you! You..._insufferable_-HENTAIII!"

"Tch!" he smirked pleasantly at her, _"Details!"_

"SHUT UP!" she said, turning away from him in mortification. She thanked her luck that that it was late afternoon and too dark to see how distinctly red her face was. As it is,it felt hot enough to cook an omelet on.

Behind her, she heard him chucking. Or rather she felt the low rumbling in his chest as a distinctly masculine snort emanated from somewhere over her head.

"Well anyway," he said, after his mirth had subsided, "We will stop here for the night." In her sleep, Miaka hadn't even known when they had left Tokaki and Subaru's village by the mountains and entered a new one. They stood in front of an old shady inn.

She stood next to him and glanced at the surroundings.

"Here you go, get us some rooms," he said, handing her a few coins. She didn't ask him where he had gotten them from, but assumed they may have been from Chichiri.

"Why me?" she questioned him.

"I have something to do,I'll be back," he said, getting back on the horse.

_"What?"_

"Don't just stand there, go do something on your own for a change."

_"Jackass."_

* * *

><p>Heaving a long breath of fortification, Miaka walked uncertainly towards the portly inn keeper. As it is, she was mildly distrustful of the male species inside the Shijintenchisho and the happily and blatantly lascivious looks the male patrons of the inn along with the inn keeper,where throwing at her direction, only served to heighten her distrust.<p>

"Are you all by yourself, young lady?" smiled or rather leered, the middle-aged inn keeper.

Miaka was experienced enough to guess what that question entailed and how a response in the affirmative might destroy her peace and security in future. So, she blurted out the one vague idea that was briefly developing in her head. Of course, she did not think it through, as was her wont and by the time the words sunk in , in her own mind, it was too late to take them back.

"No, my husband will be joining me shortly. He went to town on some errands."

"Oh,I see," replied the inn keeper, disappointment steadily creeping into his tone, "Traveling alone would of course be too risky, for a beautiful young lady like yourself."

_You bet._

Encouraged, she fabricated on her little white lie further, " In fact, you should discuss about the payments with my husband when he comes in. He's tall,blond and blue eyed – pretty hard to miss and he shouldn't be long. Meanwhile, could you please show me to my room, I am so tired.."

She yawned for further emphasis.

"Of course, of course," nodded the inn keeper before coming out from behind his desk , " Right this way."

When she was finally in her room, she sat down after double checking the locks. Her thoughts wondered to her hypothetical 'husband' and when he would return and how he would react to their surprise marriage. Knowing him of course,he was going to do something she would regret.

She sighed.

* * *

><p>Ayuru had scoured the entire village market in search of quality tobacco. Stepping inside the inn, the first thing he noticed however, was the overly large smile the inn keeper was sending his way.<p>

"Your lovely wife is waiting for you in your room upstairs, sir."

"Excuse me?" For a moment, he thought he had been mistaken for someone else. His eyes narrowed at the man's incompetence. Of course it didn't help matters that his temper was already high strung due to the unavailability of cigarettes in medieval China.

The inn keeper faltered under the tall man's hard gaze. As it is the _gaijin_ looked intimidating but right now, for some reason the icy glower he was being subjected to, would make any sane person fear for his life.

"Lovely young lady, err- medium length auburn hair, hazel eyes..no?"

The Suzaku no Miko.

His lips curled into an amused smirk as one eyebrow shot up in disbelief.

"She said she's my _wife_?" he asked with wry amusement.

"Well yes," said the inn keeper, gulping, _"Isn't she?"_

"Yes she is," he replied smoothly,without batting an eyelid, "Thank you for taking care of her in my absence."

It had taken him less than a second to figure out why the Suzaku no Miko had faked their marriage,of course. But nonetheless, it was very amusing to think that a few days ago, she plainly abhorred his presence on the planet and now they were married and it was _her_ idea.

- "No problem, sir! That will be ten gold coins, then."

Giving the inn keeper coins that he had obtained from Chichiri before, he made his way upstairs to their room, to greet his new wife.

* * *

><p>He saw her jump violently when he opened the door, as if she were expecting robbers to storm in any minute. Or <em>her new husband<em>. She looked very flustered. He sent a small smirk in her direction but said nothing.

"Where were you?" she snapped at him.

When he did turn around and gave her his full attention however, inexplicably she blushed furiously. Within seconds her face was red enough to rival a tomato.

His smirk broadened.

"I had to get something to smoke. I went to the village markets," he replied with a straight face,however.

It did not escape his notice that she did relax a little bit at his plain answer.

"Well you should have had common sense enough not to have left me alone in a strange inn so you could go and indulge in your vices," she said, with a little less heat this time.

"I am very sorry," he said in a grave voice, while his eyes narrowed in mirth, "if my vices, do not please you , I will give them up immediately. As for my lack of common sense, I apologize for that too. I will of course, defer to you from now on. After all..._you are my better half." _

Predictably, she turned a several different shades of red, in the span of a few milliseconds.

"What**-**_**Aarrrgh**_!" she spluttered, completely taken aback with surprise and mortification, "_Don't you dare_ fling that back on me. I didn't know what else to say, the guy was so creepy!"

"Why," he inquired, in a tone of mock surprise, "does that upset you? I said I am going to defer to you from now on._ I gave you a compliment."_

"Right," she retorted, waspishly, steadily gaining her fiery temper , " _That_ was _not _a compliment! That was a mockery. And now that you have had your fun, _get out!_ Go to your room and leave me alone, _Jerk!"_

Giving her an amused glance, he proceeded to calmly take off his shirt, making her gasp in disbelief and look away.

"Unfortunately darling," he said, rather agreeably, " now that we _are _married, _we_ will be spending the night in the same room as I have _no intention _of sleeping elsewhere and being labeled as a cuckolded husband."

"No one in their right minds would believe that," the Suzaku no Miko snorted.

"Exactly, it's too unnatural to be true," he said sagely, giving her one of his patented smirks, " and therefore, my sleeping out of the room, you will agree, is _absolutely out of the question_."

The petite miko's eyes widened in disbelief and possibly embarrassment. "_Get out!_ There is no way _in hell _I am sleeping in the same bed as you," she shrieked in a high pitch tone, too mortified to even look at him in the eye.

"You sure have a healthy imagination, Suzaku no miko," her former archenemy and currently dubious aide's lips curled in sarcastic amusement, "I said we are going to be spending the night in the same room, no one said anything about the bed."

"Besides," he said, with his tone generously laced with disdain, "the display you offered after your deep sea diving adventure the other day was enough to convince me that you need another ten or so years before I place you and the bed in the same sentence."

It was another blatant lie. The Suzaku no miko, despite still being in her teens, had a lithe and graceful figure with _unquestionable_ appeal. But it was very enjoyable to watch her rise to bait with that fiery temper of hers.

He watched with amusement as she fumed, glaring daggers at him. Her face was a permanent red now, but he couldn't tell if it was from anger or embarrassment. Knowing the miko, it was probably generous doses of both.

"_FINE!"_ she said vehemently, grabbing the pillows and the coverlet, "I couldn't care less about what you do. I am going to bed and I will _incinerate_ you if I find you in it later on!"

Amused , he watched quietly as the Suzaku no Miko plumped up the pillows, arranged the covers and lay down on the bed without a backward glance at him.

There was no point in angering the miko again over the bed issue, although it would be a very promising venture in terms of enjoyment. With his insomniac tendencies, the bed would have been wasted on him anyway.

Getting up from his chair, he went out into the balcony to utilize the time to think. They would start for Kutoh in the morning.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello xD<strong>

Firstly, big thank you ! to all the lovely reviewers from the last chapter :_ Dessert Renaissance, Honey, Kaytee, Leo, Jacky, Bobby, Anarya of Lorien, Just Danny, Alex and Nakago (LOL at name xD) -_You guys are all too kind *blushes* BTW, sorry for the chapters being so long =\ I just can't make cliff-hangers at appropriate places for the world. I guess this is what happens when you don't plan ahead. ( And I did not just say that out loud -.-* )

**_Comments from you :_**

**_"Didn't like Soi"  
><em>**

Haha, I don't blame you. Who wants the former flame! But that being said, even though it's a romance fic between two people, by adding others I try to give you different aspects of the main characters...flesh them out as human beings and so on. Well, this wasn't the real Soi as well, and the next time she makes an appearance will possibly be towards the end of the story.

**"_The nakago miaka kiss i think u should write it like a real kiss"  
><em>**

One of these days I will have the guts to do that.I swear. And that was not a kiss at all, it was just, to quote Kaytee, Nakago playing with Miaka's nerves xD

**_"This is the Nakago I'd love to meet!"_**

Welcome to the club ! To approve your membership please kill/maim at least two innocent people and one yellow canary for no reason at all. Manipulating and confounding random teenagers earns you 1000 bonus points per teen and an accumulated worth of 10,000 points can be exchanged for a trip to the hot springs xD

Ahem anyway, If anyone has confusion regarding the villains in this story : well there are four. Along with Tenkou, there is Yousui( whose powers we haven't come across yet), Miru (the sexy not-Soi whose powers we haven't come across yet either) and Hikou ( whose powers we have seen in plenty as he is the Demon lord of floods and draughts) xDD

Annnnd, I found out I had been spelling 'omelet' wrong all my life.

As always, hope you liked this chapter. Don't forget to leave reviews =D


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter X : When Hell Freezes Over  
><strong>

When Miaka woke up the next day, she felt decidedly...perky.

The bed had been reasonably comfortable, albeit a bit rickety. The pillow was soft and the comforter had been warm. Cool, fresh morning breeze wafted in through the open balcony and a part of her wanted to snuggle back into the inviting bed when a decidedly snarky voice in her mind reminded her : This was _not_ a vacation.

It took a few more seconds to remember she had a room mate.

The room mate fortunately, and surprisingly, was fast asleep. On a chair. Well two chairs actually, because _he_ was seated on one and had his legs propped on the other. It was kind of unnerving. A little bit. Three years ago such a situation would have, _justifiably,_ scared the living day lights out of her but there he was : the inscrutable former nemesis, fast asleep, on an old wooden chair.

Suddenly struck with a whimsical and perverse desire, she got out of bed and tiptoed towards the sleeping figure to get a closer look. His head was inclined on the back of the chair while his hands rested on his lap,joined together as if in prayer. As his chest rose and fell steadily in rhythm with his breathing, the erstwhile Seiryu warrior definitely made a striking picture. Like '_Beauty in repose_' or something equally flowery along those lines, Miaka thought with wry amusement, eyes trailing over his sculpted,symmetrical countenance. He had long,thick eyelashes too, she noted, with a little hint of jealousy. Trust the heavens above to bestow gifts where they are perfectly undeserved...

"Good morning."

Miaka almost fell back in surprise and shock to see blue eyes staring at her with calm, mocking amusement. Spluttering, she managed to pull herself together in time. "Ehh..I was just checking to see if you were still sleeping and if I-I should wake you." She matched his stare with a determined one of her own, despite the fact that her face was steadily turning a solid red.

In reply, one perfectly arched eyebrow shot up in mockery as the habitual telltale smirk found its way back into the blonde man's face.

"I didn't ask," he intoned with amusement.

Miaka couldn't help but roll her eyes in exasperation. Seriously, the man was too damn overconfident.

_Jackass._

"Anyway," she muttered, eager to change the subject, "now that you are up, shouldn't we be starting for Kutoh?"

"After you get me tea."

_-"I will when hell freezes over !"_

"I thought that happened yesterday, _when you married me." _

With that, the former general eased back into the chair and closed his eyes, while the trademark smirk remained on his features. Obviously, he was expecting to be obeyed post-haste.

_What the..._

Shocked and angered at the trivial dismissal, the Suzaku no Miko bristled like an angry kitten before kicking the foot of his chair.

"_Get up_!" she snapped at him, still in shock at his audacity, "And get your bloody tea yourself!"

"In the last few hours that we have been wed," replied her former arch enemy, in a even tone, not even bothering to open his eyes, "You have denied me both my carnal _and_ domestic felicity. _Remind me why I am married to you."_

_Ack._ It was really a talent, she presumed, to be able to rouse such strong murderous instincts in your neighbors without even lifting a finger. '_Beauty at repose'_ he was definitely _not._ Perhaps '_Satan at leisure_' was nearer the mark...

Images of a certain, irritating blonde man being struck by lightning flooded her mind as a decidedly homicidal part of her urged her to find the nearest heavy object to throw at him.

Inhaling, she took a deep calming breathe before speaking next.

"I refuse to let you irritate me this early in the morning," she said, "We are_ not _married. _You _are getting your tea _yourself_. And _I_ am going down to eat breakfast. _Good day_!"

And that was when the Suzaku no Miko, stalked out the door with all the grace of her station as her arch enemy lay eyes closed on the rickety chair.

She and her mind unanimously agreed that _he_ could go to hell.

* * *

><p>If there was one thing Miaka loved about the inns at inside the Shijintenchisho, it was their absolute generosity when it came to food. Verily, breakfast was a sumptuous affair and feeling a bit vindictive, Miaka had ordered the full traditional breakfast at her dear <em>husband's<em> expense.

The platter which arrived shortly thereafter, was enough to make her grin happily in pleasure. There was the miso soup , filled with chopped green onions and sea weed. The Tamagoyaki* looked crisp,golden and inviting, as did the freshly cut white radishes placed next to it. The broiled salmon looked heavenly pink. Even the bowl of steamed rice looked so perfect that Miaka had to hold back her tears of joy at its sight. And there were pickles too. _Oh how she had missed food lately..._

Her inner voice sang "_Itadakimas_" in gleeful and enthusiastic rapture.

And it was only after two hours and three more bowls of rice, did the Suzaku no Miko realize that her companion had yet to make an appearance.

And as if on cue, a silent,tall, blonde man, with morning hair and hands tucked into his trouser pockets walked down the stairs into the big hall, instantly attracting and holding the attention of everyone present. It would seem, that even in his disheveled appearance and casual gait, the man retained the commanding presence of his former incarnation.

_Who cares,_ the priestess thought sourly, _he still has the manners of a barbarian..._

"Good morning," she smiled with mock sweetness as a wide and artificial smile plastered itself on her face.

Nodding absently in her direction, the erstwhile leader of the Seiryu Shichiseishi, concentrated on the plate the inn keeper had set down for him as soon as he seated himself.

He was never a food enthusiast himself and the bland spread of boiled fish,steamed rice,soup and poached eggs in front of him did nothing to invite his appetite.

Miaka watched in muted curiosity as the blonde picked up a pair of chopsticks and began removing the layer of fermented soy beans from the steamed rice on to a different plate. Soon after, the daikon radishes and pickle followed in the same fashion. In fact, Miaka had to hide a giggle as she watched her former nemesis, pick out sea weed and pieces of tofu from his soup with a distinctly impatient look on his face.

The formidable erstwhile warrior of Seiryu,she noticed with amusement,was a picky eater.

"You surprise me," she said after some time, smiling wryly.

"How so?" he said, concentrating on the salmon.

"No, its just..," she trailed off, uncertain. She was at a loss for words herself. It was so...odd. So, unusual for him to behave..._almost normal?_..And it was more unsettling that _she_ would be the one to make that particular discovery.

Blue met hazel as he slowly lifted his gaze from his plate to her face. Piercing azure eyes raked over her in a manner that simultaneously captivated her gaze and dared her to look away. The former Seiryu Shogun had a way of looking _into_ a person, not _at_ them. As if, he peered deep in to their conscious with his gaze and then weighed their soul.

"You are surprised that I seem _human_," he smirked at her, summing up her feelings accurately.

Miaka looked at the profile of the man in front of her. She had always known he was good at analyzing others. This skill had given him the upper hand countless times before when he had anticipated their every move and then manipulated the situations ruthlessly. Gi Ayuru perhaps was different than the intimidating Shogun of Kutoh in some aspects, but there were some intrinsic properties which remained, and which made him no less dangerous than his former self.

"_Seem_ being the key word," she observed dryly.

"_T__ouché_ _." _

* * *

><p>After they had settled their bills at the inn, the Suzaku no Miko and the former Seiryu Seishi walked out the back to fetch their steed. They still had the one horse and were still pressed for time ( in a manner of speaking) <em>and<em> were short of money and rations, so without further ado they departed on their horse together, with the former warrior in control of the reigns.

It would have been a speedy, half a day's worth of journey if not for the fact that the Suzaku no Miko kept fidgeting on her seat every two minutes, much to the chagrin of her fellow passenger ( who had the decency to keep quiet) and the horse ( who lacked the proper vocabulary to express his feelings).

It was nobody's fault really, that the Miko tried hard to keep her back ramrod straight and at a safe distance from a certain somebody's chest while she counted the seconds till they would reach Toran, the capital city. But that feat was easier said than done as the steady rocking pace of the horse made sure she was intimately acquainted with the firm contours of her fellow riders chest and abdomen within the first hour of their ride together. She hopelessly wondered if he had noticed how she had tried to spring away from him every time she fell back due to all the rocking. She had tried her best to be subtle. She also sympathized with the poor horse whose mane she held in a death grip in an effort to sit straight. She could feel his occasional breathe down her neckline and it took a stupendous amount of effort to not wriggle like an eel every time that happened. She wondered why he affected her like that. She had traveled countless times with her friends on horse back before and could never recall a time where she had been less comfortable...

* * *

><p>Their first proper halt came almost four hours later and that too because Miaka had put her foot down with a resolve that could move Mt. Taikyoku.<p>

Her back ached due to the rigid way she held herself throughout their trip and she felt borderline comatose. And it didn't help matters that former Seiryu warrior looked perfectly at ease and energetic ,even though he was supposed to be out-of-practice.

The scenery had changed somewhere in the last hour. The lush flora of their surroundings and the floating, vagabond clouds drifting overhead alerted them to the fact that Kutoh wasn't very far. The road they had been traveling on had tall trees and bushy thickets on either side, which was in stark comparison to the landscapes of Sairoh.

The atmosphere, in keeping with the surroundings, had also been steadily turning humid. So, when Miaka did spot the small stream gurgling pleasantly behind some rock formations, by the side of the road, she whooped with relief and glared, scowled and _threatened_ her impassive companion till he was forced to relent.

As her tall, bemused fellow traveler, tethered their horse to the nearest tree, Miaka took a look around. She had always harbored a secret liking for small ponds and streams and such, even though her swimming talents were mediocre at best. Somewhere in the future, when she and Taka would finally start living in their marital home, she would keep a small decorative Koi pond in the backyard. The thought made her so enthusiastic, she had often randomly looked up online catalogs to satiate her whims. Of course, no one knew of these little whimsical dreams. They were too whimsical and personal to be shared. For now, Taka only had a vague idea about their two hypothetical kids and the dog. _Very vague_, of course. A little boy, a little girl, a golden retriever and a koi pond. And possibly a small decorative bridge over the pond. All in a traditional Japanese home in Kyoto. Tokyo was nice, but there was no way she was going to continue living in another apartment in some building where none of the neighbors knew each other. She had lived like that all her life and detested it. There was something to be said when your house didn't have a front gate and a little vegetable patch.

_"How long do you plan to stand there and smile out into the horizon like an idiot?"_

Drat. Suddenly , unbidden images of a tall, stoic,_ blonde_ man in a stuffy, formal suit entered her picturesque old-world traditional home, effectively yanking her out of her day dream. Grimacing at the prospect of how out-of-place he would look there, Miaka turned her attention balefully on her nemesis.

"I was waiting for you to finish tethering the horse and leave," she snapped at him, "I am not taking my clothes off and getting into the water till you go."

Tying the last knot around the old tree's voluminous girth, Ayuru turned around to look at the petite brunette fuming in front of him. Obviously, the girl had been daydreaming about something and did not take kindly to being interrupted. But unfortunately for her, he had no intentions of being tactful and letting her waste their time as she pleased. _Something_ was probably having a pleasant time and attending classes in the university while he himself was left to deal with the petulant miko.

"Half an hour," he said pointedly, before leaving.

* * *

><p>While the Suzaku no Miko had been taking her bath, Ayuru had taken it upon himself to find a different spot and take a light nap. Sleeping at odd hours of the day was not new to him as his insomnia made sure that he had a very erratic sleeping pattern. And the last few days of miko-sitting had barely given him enough hours of sleep to function properly.<p>

Stretching out on the grasses, the former general had barely managed to close his eyelids for ten minutes when something at the back of his mind, told him that they were not alone.

Sitting up straight and scanning the nearby area mentally, searching for possible threats, he was very surprised and almost disappointed to realize, that the chi his heightened tracking abilities had been picking up on, belonged to an ordinary human. And said person had stood fixed in the same place for the past few minutes. Possibly a random passer-by.

Dismissing the thought, he had almost gone to sleep. But when the apparently inconsequential chi signature stayed still in its place for another five minutes, curiosity had bid a firm goodbye to any vestiges of sleep. Getting up, Ayuru went to check on their horse when the he spotted a _boy_, hardly older than the Suzaku no Miko, standing beside the horse and staring towards the stream with a very comical expression on his face. Within seconds the open question about the stagnant chi-signature explained itself, much to the amusement of the former Seiryu general, while the oblivious boy continued to stare mesmerized at the lake. An empty pitcher hung limply from his arm.

Following the newcomer's gaze, Ayuru looked towards the stream just in time, to see a head full of russet-hair attached to glistening,bare shoulders come up to the surface for a second before dipping back in.

Smirking with dry humor, he returned his attention back to the boy.

"Not disturbing a devoted man at his prayers, am I?"

The reaction was instantaneous as the boy jerked violently and turned towards him, surprised, taken aback and thoroughly embarrassed.

"I-I...that is to say- I am here to refill my water." choked out the boy, holding up his pitcher , by way of proof.

"I see," deadpanned Ayuru, "Are you done?"

"Yes- I mean , no. No. I just didn't want to disturb the..-err- ojou-san-"

"So you decided to watch her take a bath instead," supplied the former warrior smoothly, with a perfectly straight face.

"No." The boy squeaked out, mortified, "I was just-taken by surprise , that's all."

"And the surprise had you rooted to the spot for a good fifteen minutes." The tall man, raised an eyebrow at the newcomer, who was at least a head shorter than him.

The boy turned six different shades of red within milliseconds.

"You," frowned Ayuru, failing to keep the disbelief out of his voice when he noticed the sword hanging at the boy's side, "belong to the _Kutoh_ army?" The insignia on the sheath was all too recognizable for the former Shogun.

"Yes," the boy said petulantly and with a little more spirit, as if he himself just remembered that he was an honored soldier and not just some random teenager anybody could trifle with.

"I am a commissioned officer," he said, with pride.

"Oh," drawled the much older man with wry amusement. "And what other qualities do you have, besides being a very efficient Peeping-Tom?"

"I was not _peeping_," moaned the commissioned officer miserably, " I was traveling by here on my cart when I just realized that my water was gone."

_"You have a cart?" _inquired the former Shogun, his face the very picture of polite interest._  
><em>

* * *

><p>When Miaka returned from her bath, she had fully expected to run into the blonde Shogun as soon as she stepped out of the water. So, imagine her surprise when he was nowhere to be found. In fact, a tiny part of her was almost disappointed that he had such little interest in her..<p>

Putting on her clothes, she had gone looking for him, and their horse, when a cart pulled up at the side of the road caught her attention.

Standing beside the cart, leaning against it, was a brown-haired boy her own age, who inexplicably went red in the face as soon as their eyes met.

Going over to him , she greeted the boy a little awkwardly.

"Have you seen a tall, blonde, intimidating looking guy anywhere around here?" she asked of him, hoping the latter would have some clues about the whereabouts of her sociopath partner. "He, kind of looks... unfriendly," she supplied, by way of additional information.

The boy almost snorted at her description before gesturing towards the veiled compartment of the cart wearily, "Yeah, he's inside, sleeping."

"What?"

And indeed,as Miaka went over to the back and lifted the dark green tent like material that hung over the cart, she found what she was looking for. One tall, blonde intimidating sociopath lounging comfortably at the back. He even smirked when she found him.

"Meet Shinji," her sociopath said , dryly, " He has kindly offered to drive us to the capital, since he is going there himself."

Perplexed, Miaka looked around at _Shinji_, who looked far too unnerved for someone who had kindly offered them his services.

* * *

><p>"So you're returning home after serving at the borders for three years?" The miko asked of their tour guide, once they had started, "You must be very excited to see your family."<p>

"Yes," nodded the young soldier enthusiastically,slowly regaining some of his lost composure, "I am going to be promoted into a commissioned officer now, so I will stay in the capital and spend more time with them."

"That sounds wonderful," the petite brunette beside him hummed in agreement.

"It is," asserted her companion, happily, " I had always dreamt of being in the national army. I had no idea I would rise up to the level of a commissioned officer this soon. Perhaps, you never know, I might even reach the level of a Shogun before my hair turns gray." He finished with an awkward,wistful laugh.

Miaka chanced a glance at the one other person who she knew had definitely reached to the rank of Shogun before _his_ hair had turned gray. The former Shogun of Kutoh had taken full advantage of the relatively empty cart and was currently stretched out on it, using one of the bigger knapsacks as a pillow. His left hand cushioned his head while the right hand was placed over his eyes. She had no way of knowing if the man was really asleep.

Lounging inside the cart, the erstwhile Seiryu seishi was only too happy to let the other two engage in small talk. He noted with wry amusement that while the Suzaku no miko was overtly guarded around himself and analyzed everything he said or did under a magnifying glass, she had no problems instantly befriending any Tom,Dick and Harry without thinking twice about their credentials.

Ayuru couldn't decide if that was an insult to _his_ personality or her intelligence.

He recalled the easy way she had bonded with Amiboshi when the latter was masquerading as Chiriko. He was no stranger to her boundless capacity of forgiving others and looking for the best in virtually everyone, with of course the noted exception of himself. Nakago of the past would have and did scoff at such a happy-go-lucky attitude but after two lifetime's worth of experience, Ayuru had long since come to respect the value of earnestness and simple good will, even though he had chosen not to inculcate either feature in his personal or professional life. And what surprised him into begrudgingly respecting the miko was the simple fact, that she herself was totally unaware of the effect she had on other people. Or if she was aware, she was definitely very humble about it.

"_Ne.._Shinji-kun," chirped the priestess, "How is it like? To be in the army?"

Here was a splendid opportunity she was _very_ keen on exploiting.

"Very nice and peaceful actually," her partner laughed, loosening the reigns on the horses a bit, "We had a recent change in regime and tension between the four kingdoms has simmered down a lot lately. Kutoh used to be a nation of constant wars, you know. Thank Seiryu _that_ was changed. I have never been to war myself, I think all that strife ended the same time I first joined."

"Lucky me," he added as an after thought.

"When you first joined three years ago?" the priestess asked innocently.

"Yes," replied Shinji, " The last Shogun died and all the warfare and political strife died with him."

This time the priestess didn't even dare look back to see if their companion in the cart was paying attention.

"The people were happy to see him go?" she asked softly, peering at the passing scenery.

"Well," her companion inclined his head reflectively, "That's a complex question actually. A lot of the noble families really worshiped him ,you know, because every campaign he took part in, was instantly guaranteed success. And he took part in a great many. But a few other noble houses were never pleased with him, because you know, wars always meant a hike in taxes. Of course, after he single-handedly wiped out the last royal family-"

"He _WHAT_?" spluttered the priestess, completely taken aback.

Surprised by her reaction, her companion gave her a bemused look.

"Oh you don't know?" he asked of her, " After the great battle with Konan, the Shogun attacked the royal palace itself and killed the Emperor, while his men were ordered to murder every member of the royal family. It was a very gory affair."

"But what for?" asked Miaka still in a daze. _Who had she been walking around with for the past few days?_

Sure she knew he had been ruthless and too ambitious, but this was beyond acceptable, even for someone like him...

"I don't know,I had never even met the guy," shrugged her informant casually, "Heard he was a strict taskmaster though. And a perfectionist to boot. Didn't talk much but people in his immediate regiment had to always count their breathes in front of him. Poor bastards."

Miaka silently pondered the information in her mind. She had met the Emperor of Kutoh on one occasion, during the time when she had gone to Kutoh to bring Yui back. He was a detestable and slimy personality. His death brought her no grief. But she couldn't help but feel unsettled that the entire royal family had been killed along with the Emperor. Why would anyone sacrifice so many innocent casualties for the sake of power?

"But that's what you get when you let foreigners run the nation," her companion spoke, his voice replete with ill-concealed distaste.

"What?" blinked Miaka confusedly, having dazed out a few moments ago.

"The former Shogun, you know," carried on Shinji, "He was a foreigner. That's what you get when you hire foreigners. Anyone would be a fool to expect patriotism from them. And that guy was a Hin, no less."

_That_ word again.

Miaka looked up at the brown eyes of the young man before her. "What does that mean?" she asked.

"Oh you don't know," her companion nodded sagely, " This happened much before we were born. But the Hins were a nasty lot. The previous Emperor had to purge out their entire race. Too bad they let him live though,because he was one of the venerated Seiryu no seishi and all that. Now that you think about it, they would have been better off killing him at the same time too, with the rest of his family. Would have saved every one else a lot of time,money and blood twenty years later."

The soldier laughed alone at his own joke.

"I think we have discussed enough wars for the day, don't you?" the priestess smiled politely at her companion, trying her best to not let the distress in her voice show.

"_Tired of your history lesson already, Ojou-san?"_ a cool voice asked from the back of the cart.

The former Seiryu warrior had been awake after all. The thought made her feel worse. Unable to reply, she concentrated on the horses' hooves.

"Oh you're awake Gi-san," commented the young soldier,his gayness slipping down a notch, "Miaka-chan and I were discussing politics, warfare and the like."

"I heard." came the succinct reply.

"But like I said before," continued Shinji blithely,oblivious to the tension , " our new Emperor is a complete pacifist and the new Shogun echoes His Highness' ideals. Hopefully the next decade or two will be totally war free."

Ayuru smiled dryly at the other man's naivete.

"I don't think Shinji, that you answered all of Ojou-san's questions to her satisfaction," commented the blonde man, in a deceptively light tone, "Ask her if she has any other queries and we can discuss those as well."

The_ Ojou-san _in question_, _unfortunately, had to keep herself from covering her face in embarrassment and distress. She had let her curiosity run amok and now she couldn't bear to face the man reclining inside the cart. To top it off, he was emitting a very icy and hostile aura. It made her shiver involuntarily. She didn't even need to turn around to know that her usually taciturn companion was wearing an acutely antagonistic expression. She could almost feel his silvery-blue eyes, flashing with pride and fury, boring holes at the back of her skull.

"No questions," she mumbled sheepishly, steadfastly refusing to look at the person lounging inside the cart.

"But wouldn't you like to know _why_ the general killed his own patron?" the former Seiryu seishi asked in a silky voice laced with humor.

"Not really," she muttered again, as her voice lowered itself to a bare minimum.

"But I explained that one right," interrupted Shinji excitedly, obviously liking the discussion, " The former general was a member of the hated Hin race. They were a despicable lot. And untrustworthy too."

"Yes," concurred the erstwhile member of the said race smoothly, in an icy voice, " And perhaps the constant vilifying of his race may also have had a negative influence. Not to mention he probably did harbor a slight grudge against his employer for killing off all the members of his tribe including his own family. Things like that work against the whole loyalty campaign. Although money does get you reasonably far."

Miaka winced at the controlled fury behind the sentences. As it is, the _somewhat_ civil relationship that she had had with the enigmatic former general,for the past few days, was frail and unstable to say the least. But in reality, they just weren't progressing at all. And half of it, was her own fault. She just couldn't bring herself to have faith in the man, even though he had shown no inclination_ thus _far, that he had a plan for world conquest cooking at the back of his mind, this time around. Of course, it didn't help matters that he turned reticent or else difficult ( or sometimes both) at the best of times. Frighteningly, there were also times when she almost enjoyed being with him. _Almost._

"You could put it that way," laughed Shinji bringing Miaka back to the present, "But the man was definitely good at what he did. Did you know he was the youngest person ever to rise to the rank of Shogun?"

His response garnered a snort of derision from the former Seiryu seishi who chose to not comment further.

"But they say he only got that far so quickly because the Emperor favored him." Obviously, Shinji had not exhausted the topic yet. The boy just didn't know when to shut up.

"That's lucky for him," Miaka replied with feigned disinterest.

"In a manner of speaking," replied Shinji, "Word has it the Emperor took his share of favors from the general."

"What kind of favors?" Miaka asked absently.

But apparently that was the wrong thing to ask as the soldier laughed lightly in awkward embarrassment and deigned to elaborate further while the temperature of the whole cart conspicuously dropped by a few degrees.

"What kind of favors?" she asked again,perplexed.

"The kind that's none of your business, _Ojou-san,_" snapped the general turned businessman from behind her, voice taut with enough subdued hostility to set a forest on fire, "How far are we from the capital, Shinji?"

"Eh – Another, say fifty miles?"

"_Are you going to be providing a running commentary on the former Shogun all the way?"_

"N-no , no, of course not."

The travelers lapsed again into silence. After a while, Shinji began humming a soft tune and for some reason it irritated Miaka greatly. She had uncovered a great deal and it made her feel very edgy. She hadn't been deceived in the least bit when Nakago had discoursed calmly with the newly commissioned officer of Kutoh. There would be the devil to pay sooner or later.

Wrapped in her own gloomy thoughts, Miaka was taken by surprise when the cart stopped suddenly.

"What is it Shinji-kun?" She asked of their driver who was looking at a stationary group of men standing on the road, blocking the path.

"It's nothing, Miaka-chan," he smiled reassuringly at the petite brunette, " Probably a group of travelers who are lost. Don't worry, let me go and see if they need help."

Miaka had her own hunch about this particular band of travelers but Shinji brushed her off confidently as he got down from his seat to go take a look. After all, no one would dare cause trouble for a commissioned officer of Kutoh.

A soft snort reached her ears. It came from the back of the cart, originating from the man who had been reclining casually.

"We're going to be robbed,aren't we?" she asked him mournfully.

"Yes."

And sure enough, as Miaka watched, the group of men listened very intently to what Shinji had to say, before erupting in peals of raucous laughter. And if that wasn't meaningful enough, all of Miaka's doubts were confirmed when at least six burly men drew out their swords and leveled them collectively at Shinji's neck.

"Get out of the cart with your valuables!" The tallest of the group, invariably the leader, yelled at her direction.

Flinching slightly in fear, she looked helplessly at her sleeping partner. "_Do something,"_ she hissed.

But instead of getting up and probably saving the day as Miaka hoped, the tall irksome man merely looked at her and shrugged. "I can't do anything," he said, "Your friend took the only available sword."

"_What?_" she all but shrieked at him, panic rising steadily in her voice at his apparent apathy at the whole situation, "What do we do now?"

"Grab you valuables and get out of the cart," he deadpanned, getting off the vehicle himself and stretching his arms.

As the pair got out of the cart, a second bandit advanced towards them.

"Come!" he barked, "The boss is waiting."

Miaka sneaked a glance at the tall profile of the man walking beside her, apparently very much at ease. What was he planning to do?

"Gomen nasai, Miaka-chan, Gi-san." mumbled Shinji, eyes downcast as they all assembled in front of the leader of the bandits.

"I thought you were a decorated soldier of the Imperial army," said the blonde man calmly, raising a mocking eyebrow at the much shorter man.

"Well," the boy said unhappily, "There's too many of them,I am sorry I jeopardized both of your lives as well as mine."

"Now is not the time to be bullying others, _Baka,_" hissed Miaka at the taller man, "_Do something_."

"Like _what_?" asked the erstwhile Seiryu warrior. Miaka felt certain he was being willfully unhelpful just to spite her.

"Well, _use your powers_," she muttered sheepishly.

"And risk _killing them all?_" The Suzaku no miko felt her temper rise uncontrollably as the towering man before her feigned a look of utter surprise and shock at the prospect of killing off the bandits.

_Jackass._

Not wanting to let him push her buttons so easily, she ground out, "Well, if you have a better plan that saves everybody, by all means, _go ahead_."

He smirked.

Their brief interlude was interrupted however, by the leader of the bandits who steadily grew impatient and bad tempered at being ignored.

"Hey you two !" he growled, " Enough chit chat! Now give us your valuables and you may go. Defy me and you will all die here."

To her utter surprise and dismay, the proud and arrogant Shogun, who hardly ever considered anyone his equal, flicked a casual glance at the men before sinking to a meek bow in front of the leader, "Please let us go," he said in a deceptively polite tone , "We are simple travelers. We don't have anything that might be of importance to you."

Belatedly Miaka realized, the only people Nakago had ever bowed to was the late Emperor and Yui, both of whom he had eventually deceived.

"Keh!" spat the leader, "In that case we will just kill you for wasting our time."

The leader signaled as two men with swords drawn advanced on the captives. Beside her, Miaka felt Shinji tremble unsteadily as his own sword hung limply on his belt.

Both bandits swung their swords simultaneously. Miaka watched mesmerized as the stoic, tall blonde next to her moved with the speed of lightning and placed himself in front of both herself and Shinji.

Grabbing the first attacker by his wrist, the erstwhile Shogun swung the poor man's arm in the opposite direction and within milliseconds landed a killer blow on the bandit's shoulder joint, wrenching a horrified and anguished howl from the victim.

The former Seiryu seishi didn't even give his attackers the time to register his movements as he held the first bandit by the now broken arm and aimed a smooth,sure kick at the second bandit , possibly breaking the man's jaw.

The Seiryu general's actions sent a flurry of anger within the bandits as two more advanced on them menacingly.

But the man, still without a weapon, simply ducked and with one leg stretched, sent a rotating kick which made both the advancing men lose control and fall to the ground, clutching their heads in pain.

Casually plucking up a sword, from one of the fallen men, the blonde man, calmly stepped aside from the bodies on whimpering on the ground and leveled the sword straight between the eyes of the bandit chief. With a mirthless cruel smile that made a lot of people in the crowd tremble with fear, he drawled in an icy tone, "Anyone else?"

"How _DARE_ you!," the chief yelled, incensed.

Drawing out his own sword, the tall, dark skinned man gave his opponent a hateful look full of vengeful promise as he signaled his own men to stand back, which they obeyed instantly.

Taking advantage of the momentary confusion, Shinji grabbed hold of Miaka's sleeves and dragged her further out from between the circle of angry men that had gathered to watch Nakago fight with the bandit chief.

"I am a former mercenary," smirked the confident leader, "Let's see how long you last in a real fight, _Gaijin._"

In response, he got a slow predatory smile as with one swift, lightning-fast thrust, Nakago sent the man's sword flying onto the ground before bringing his sword back on the leader's neck.

Gasping, the bandit took two shaky steps back as his men froze in confusion.

"Will you _please_ let us go now?" Nakago drawled calmly, gazing at the men with cold malice.

Few of the men who had remained standing hastily got on their horse as the others , including the chief cleared their way.

"Y-you can go your way," the chief said, trying hard to retain the last of his hysteria-infected dignity.

"_Arigatoh."_

* * *

><p>"<em>SUGOIII !<em>" exclaimed Shinji excitedly, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

After the bandits had voluntarily ( in a manner of speaking) released them, they had returned to the cart and it was Shinji who broke the silence by squealing in excitement at having witnessed the older man in action.

"If you come with me, you know," he said , "You could even join the army. You would progress quickly with your skills."

Now it was the miko's turn to look the other way and snort delicately.

Ignoring both of them, the former Seiryu seishi frowned as he stared outside. They were approaching familiar grounds and his temper was steadily turning sour. Letting the bandits walk away scot-free was not something he was particularly inclined to do. Had he been by himself on this godforsaken trip, the whole horde of bandits would have been turned to ashes before even saying hello. Not for the first time, during their journey, he found himself irreconcilably irritated by the Miko and her constant and persistent disdain of him and the ways he employed. Then there was also a third voice in his head, asking snidely as to _why_ he cared for what the teenaged priestess thought.

"How far are we?"

"Another twenty miles."

The conversation during the remainder of the journey was made with no contributions from Ayuru as the younger duo continued their useless small talk till he could tolerate neither party. Lounging inside the simple cart, the soon-to-be managing director of the Suzuki group of companies wondered witheringly what he had done to offend the Gods, this time around to have been consigned to this current debacle. He remembered how a few days ago, Emiko had offered to replace him with a different candidate to represent their company at the university. If he had only _listened._...

Raising himself in a sitting position, the former general glanced out of the cart to see the hostile walls of the Kutoh borders looming overhead. Very soon, they would be encountering the same problem, the Suzaku no miko had faced, on her very first trip to Kutoh. Passports.

* * *

><p><strong>AN** :

Yet another filler chapter from yours truly =)

Thank you_ Dessert Renaissance, Jacky, Nakago (lol) , Honey,Leo, Glady,Loy,Kaytee,Bobby,Law, Momuji_ and _Yuuki_

- Tamagoyaki means is white radish. I have never had a Japanese breakfast and I just googled it. Let me know if the information is flawed.

- There were ALOT of reviews for the last chapter which made me ecstatic. But I sincerely hope that was not just one or two persons posting under different usernames. If that is the case, thanks guys but its misleading for both you and me. Reviews make me very happy and encouraged to write but still,I can only write when I know what to write down and that takes time. In the meanwhile, one review per person is more than sufficient to keep me happy. And for my part, I will do my best to not keep you guys waiting long.

**Questions :**

_How many chapters will this story have?_

I...have no clue xDDDD

_Will there be any sequel for this story?_

Yeah :D Definitely one...or probably two if I can motivate myself xD

_Does Nakago love Emiko at the moment?_

Nah.

_Does Nakago have a soft spot for Miaka at the moment?_

Not have to remember we have 52 episodes' worth of animosity to overcome first.

_Does Nakago find Miaka attractive as a woman?_

Well, physically, yes, why not. Not like he has any better options at the moment. But is that enough for him to start a meaningful relationship? Nope. But there are/ will be times when he looks past her juvenile exterior to find a much more intriguing person ( or atleast that's what I am trying to write)

_Will Emiko get jealous of Miaka?_

No XD Not likely. But she has a more semi-prominent role in the sequel(s).

_When will they kiss? ( no body asked this explicitly, but might as well xD)_

I dont know xDDD But I guess it's going to have to be spontaneous...and that's going to take a lot of work xDDD

_I can't wait until Miaka's temptation to tap that starts._

This is an interesting approach. But I kind of thought she's much too earnest and idealistic to consciously act on any temptation of the sort. But let's see what happens after they go through a death-defying situation or two xDD And if that doesn't work either, I'll just randomly make it rain and ruin their clothes and then drop a hut in the middle of the forest with only one blanket in it xDDDD

_How long does Nakago know Emiko and please write a love scene between the two._

They are co-workers so I would say they have known each other for quite some time now.

As for the love scene , well I will do everything that maintains relevance to the plot while staying within the stated ratings.

_Will Miru try to seduce Nakago?_

No, she rather wants to kill him, atm.

Advanced Happy Birthday to Bobby, I am very flattered by how enthusiastic you are about this fanfic. Hope this chapter lives up to your expectations :P

Finally,hope every body likes this chapter as well, please let me know what you liked,didn't like and what could have been improved. I love reading your comments. =D


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter XI : Of Emperors, Knights and Priestesses**

"_But we don't have passports _!"

"Declare yourselves and present your passports! If you fail to provide the passports you will be detained for further paperwork." the warden said dispassionately, not bothering to glance at the ordinary cart full of passengers. Hundreds of people, merchants, tourists, drifters of all kinds passed the borders of Kutoh everyday and the novelty of his job as a doorman had worn off long ago. He stood reading the list at hand, waiting for the travelers to comply.

Shinji, the newly-minted officer, was the first to hand out his papers. Miaka glanced back at their third companion, resisting the urge to shrug at him helplessly. Nakago was treating the matter with his habitual apathy. The man simply looked at ease , anywhere.

Seeing her staring at him, he shrugged his shoulders instead and provided a completely blasé reply. "It's their job."

The warden peered at the back of the carriage to find a young man, with foreign features reclining casually on the few pieces of luggage.

"Name and occupation?" he called out.

" Nakago..._Seiryu no seishi_, Nakago ."

Miaka watched in comic horror as Shinji turned white as a sheet and several of the soldiers stepped away from the carriage, looking surprised and frightened out of their wits.

"I am here to seek an audience with the Emperor," drawled the former Shogun calmly, seemingly oblivious to the reactions he was getting from the soldiers.

Ayuru smirked to himself as the small group of soldiers parted immediately to make way for their carriage.

"Carry on, officer," he said lightly to Shinji, who sat rooted to his spot, apparently unable to move. His hands held the horses' reigns in a death grip and his knuckles had turned white.

"Yes sir!" said the boy after a while, coming back to his senses but not daring to look back.

* * *

><p>Thanks to the mild uproar the former Seiryu seishi had caused at the gates of Kutoh, the journey from the borders to the main palace had been an extremely quick one. As they made their way through the streets of the capital, people dropped everything to get out of the way and make way for their cart. Their curious faces, tinted with apprehension was enough to make Miaka squirm uncomfortably in her seat. She was used to random people who stared at her. Being the Suzaku no Miko, made you very conspicuous. But the stares they were getting now, were considerably different. Most people averted their eyes as soon as she glanced at them. Several members of the populace had even kowtowed on the streets when their cart had passed by. Their servile manner and fearful countenance left nothing to the imagination about what the people thought of their former Shogun. It was a forgone conclusion that Nakago was as much a terror to them as he had been to her and the Suzaku seishi. And any one else, who knew him in general.<p>

Miaka felt a bit uneasy when she reflected about how distinctly mild-mannered, the modern day Economics professor had been in comparison. And how many times she had called him a jackass, that too, to his face. It was lucky he was inclined to be so relaxed, this time around. An image of a very well-fed tiger,reclining lazily on a tree, came unbidden to her mind. The representation suited him completely. The swishy tail made her snort.

* * *

><p>"You <em>will <em>kneel and show your respects , if you wish to seek an audience with His Imperial Highness," A middle aged man, probably the current chief adviser, bit out smugly, too confident in the knowledge that the dozen or so sentries present in the court room were sufficient to handle any adverse situation that might arise.

Apparently, the rest of the imperial court did not agree with his sentiments. The handful of courtiers present in the hall were busy shooting concealed but frantic looks towards all available exits as Ayuru raised a mocking eyebrow in answer, the tell tale smirk playing lightly on his face.

Miaka took the time to look around the ornate throne room of the current Emperor of Kutoh. She remembered meeting Shoukitei,the former Emperor inside these same walls, a few years ago. _That_ had been a forgettable experience. Not much had changed since then, except for an addition of a curtain of veils which separated the Imperial throne from the gaze of its subjects.

She looked speculatively at the veil for a few seconds. They were going to be here for sometime, she knew. The ministers had another thing coming, if they were waiting for Nakago to pay his respects.

A small face peered from around the veil. It sent a fleeting glance at the scene that was playing inside the room, before scooting back inside. And everything happened so quickly, that Miaka was almost sure she had imagined the whole thing.

The chief minister took another step forward, fully prepared to launch another verbal attack at the intruders when a small but distinct cough,emanated from the veiled throne.

The courtiers straightened instantly as the middle aged adviser recovered his countenance to declare in a very magnanimous voice that _His Highness will now speak._

The gauze veils parted. And behold, there stood a young boy, not older than thirteen or fourteen.

He was dressed in royal regalia and with the small crown atop his head, he looked every inch the monarch of a country. Miaka had to hold back a smile when she saw the little boy, trying his best to stand still and not fidget. He was cute.

The boy looked directly at the blonde man standing a few feet away from him. He didn't recognize the smiling,petite brunette next to the stoic warrior but having learnt his country's history under his teachers he was well aware of the events that had happened a few years back. It had been a life changing event for him as well. Before he had been a simple boy, living in a village with his young but widowed mother. Then one day, he suddenly became the Emperor of a nation. He didn't understand how or why he was picked,his mother had glossed over that every time the subject was broached. But he was a bit eager to do a good job, nonetheless.

Which is why, when he stood in front of the Seiryu no seishi Nakago, whose infamy was widespread, his hands didn't shake all that much. Even though, the speech was a bit halting.

"I am Emperor Seireitei of Kutoh," announced the boy, looking directly at the stern profile of the blonde warrior before him, " And if the Seiryu no seishi Nakago, wishes to benefit from the friendship Kutoh can offer, it is in his best interest to abide by our court etiquette while he is our guest."

Emperor Seireitei, or Rei-kun as his mother fondly called him, wanted to swallow very badly. His eyes shifted briefly to the brunette standing next to the man and he was a bit taken aback by her smile. Her eyes were glowing, it was the same expression his mother gave him sometimes when he had done particularly well in something or the other. It made him want to smile back at the woman.

Now there were very few things which surprised Gi Ayuru, deputy chairman of Suzuki enterprises. Even during his lifetime as Nakago, he had derived pleasure in manipulating and predicting human behavior. That particular hobby had carried on in this life time as well.

So when a little boy, who was less then half of his age probably, stood his ground and gave that speech, in a room full of men who were conspicuously afraid of the former Shogun, Ayuru was visibly taken aback.

But that lasted for about two seconds. Smirking to himself, he nodded at the boy and sank down on one knee. He kept his head up and the collective gasps which escaped all the seasoned courtiers in the room , were truly comical, he noted with wry amusement. Beside him, he distinctly heard the Suzaku no Miko say, _" Woah!"_

Then he addressed the boy as seriously as he could. "My greetings to the Emperor. The Suzaku no Miko and myself are here to retrieve the Shinzaho of Seiryu. We request your cooperation in the matter. The artifact will be returned as soon as we are done with our quest."

"Absolutely out of the question!" started the middle aged adviser, with finality and barely concealed contempt.

But the boy emperor cut him off again, earning a smirk from the reticent Seiryu seishi. Thus far, Seireitei, as Emperor had shown greater promise in five minutes than Shoukitei had managed to show in his entire life time.

"The Shinzaho," the boy continued, keeping his eyes trained on the kneeling blonde man, " is a precious heirloom and a national treasure of our country. It is cherished by our people. Why do you need it?"

Ayuru's mouth quirked a little at the the solemn young lord. The boy's determination and frank courage was almost endearing. And eerily familiar. With a start, he realized, that the young emperor of Kutoh, was much like the petite brunette standing next to him in that aspect. Both were courageous, sometimes to the point of being foolhardy. In a past life, he had diligently scorned idealism like that. He was surprised to see that now he treated this behavior with amusement and almost with fondness. Perhaps the Suzaku no miko was growing on him, after all.

This time, it was Miaka who broke into the conversation.

"Excuse me, er- Your Highness," she said, " I am the Suzaku no miko, from Konan. Nakago-umm-Sama, has agreed to help me in my quest to defeat Tenkou, an evil deity who had..._has_ malicious intentions towards all our kingdoms. We need the Shinzaho so that we may summon Suzaku and free Seiryu who has been sealed. So that, err- the Gods can help us defeat this..eto- evil deity."

The Suzaku no miko was worse than the child Emperor when it came to giving speeches, Ayuru noted sarcastically , but kept the thought to himself.

"The Suzaku no miko," cut in the adviser, once again, with his eyes narrowed and his face crumpled into a frown, "has departed this world some time ago."

"And now she is back,"Miaka tried to smile nicely at the middle-aged adviser, curbing the urge to hit him with something for his repeated interference and pompous attitude.

The adviser then turned to the boy standing in front of the the curtains, on the dais.

"Your highness," he said, his voice dripping with condescension, " You cannot pay heed to such baseless claims with out properly analyzing their merits-"

"Pardon me, for speaking out of turn, minister," Ayuru finally got up, having exhausted the amount of patience he had set aside to deal with this meaningless charade, "As a seishi of Seiryu, I have every right to appoint myself as a temporary guardian of the Shinzaho, till it exhausts its usefulness for us. I humbly ask this court, once again, for its co-operation, before I am forced to resort to more expedient means to get what I want."

It was a very polite threat. And the courtiers knew it , as even the pompous chief adviser, took a step backwards.

"You don't mind me thinking over the matter a bit more, do you?" piped a small voice from the dais.

Miaka looked at Nakago's face just in time to see a vein ticking near his temple, as the man glanced back at the boy emperor. He was angry, she could tell, and probably was planning to chi-blast the wretched adviser in the near future. The only thing stopping him from doing just that now, was probably the child standing on the dais. The knowledge fascinated her. But then again, she knew so little about the man and her ideas of him were so woefully two-dimensional , that any little thing she discovered was of huge interest.

She felt him relax beside her, as the tension and rigidity left his taut profile.

"Feel free to think over it. But the danger is close at hand and we are short of time. I hope you will come to a decision by evening," The erstwhile Shogun drawled with forced calmness.

"Of course," The young emperor nodded, barely able to keep a serious countenance as his features sagged with relief, " Till then please make yourselves comfortable here."

* * *

><p>"Where, do you think you're going?" Ayuru frowned at the teenaged Suzaku no Miko who had been following him ever since their audience with the Emperor ended. He was trying to get back to his old room and he had hoped she would take a hint and go somewhere else.<p>

The miko had been tailing him while her mind had been in an entirely different planet. So when he stopped suddenly, she almost ran into his back. Confused, the brunette sent a blank look towards her reticent tour guide. "I'm going wherever you're going," she said, "Can't I?"

He considered her for a few seconds. While it was very refreshing to meet such utterly guileless and simple people, sometimes, having to spell out everything for their benefit, was a truly uninviting and odious task.

"I am going to my old quarters," he stated plainly, with the impatience of someone who has been given the task of baby-sitting a particularly willful three year old, " I don't want you there."

"Wow, you're a hostile jerk," she said petulantly, taken aback by his bluntness.

"And the fact that _I murdered half of your seishi before_, wasn't convincing enough for you," he answered drolly, as silver-blue eyes flashed with barely concealed ire.

Predictably, the miko went as white as paper. And then headed in the opposite direction without another word.

* * *

><p>Ayuru stepped inside the last room in the eastern wing of the palace. His room. Despite his stern control over his feelings, not even Seiryu could have stopped the little somersault his heart did, the moment his eyes landed on the all-too-familiar surroundings.<p>

The room was there, exactly as he had left it. It was unnerving.

Standing on the threshold, the former warrior let his eyes trail slowly over the sparsely furnished room. Never had his two lifetime's stood out in stark contrast to each other more than they did now.

The quarters belonging to the former Shogun had a distinctly Spartan appearance. The small study area which held an inconspicuous looking table on which Nakago had toiled night after night, in sleepless pursuit of the perfect plan, the plain looking bed which had been put to use only when absolutely necessary and the even more common-looking wardrobe. It was hard to believe that such an austere and almost poor-looking room had belonged to the Shogun of a country. In his mind, he knew the answer to that. Of course, as Shogun he had been entitled to have the best money could afford. But he had never had the inclination to turn that room inside the Emperor's palace into a home. Nakago had treated the room with the same indifference he had treated everything else : it's sole purpose was to be of use. Anything else would have been a luxury. And that was why, once upon a time, the second most influential man in Kutoh, had chosen to live as an ordinary commoner inside the palace. In his desire for revenge, he had stopped himself from adding anything to the room that might have made it comfortable. He had wanted to reject everything Kutoh and its Emperor stood for.

On retrospect, he realized with a dry smile, he had made a fool out of himself. After everything was said and done, the relentless Shogun of Kutoh was only over-worked, under-paid and eventually defeated.

In comparison, he surmised, his present life was a piece of cake and the penthouse suites he generally stayed in, looked like an Empress' boudoir.

"_Don't you like your room?"_

Ayuru turned around to find the boy Emperor standing in the corridor with a perplexed look on his face.

"Aren't you supposed to be in the meeting about that important, _time-sensitive_ matter, I talked about?" He questioned the young lord, with a little hint of amusement in his voice.

The child blanched and then shrugged.

"My decision was already made, but they need to talk about it more," he said matter-of-factly. Now that he was no longer in the court room, his speech was less guarded and more frank. Childish, even.

Ayuru stared at the boy for a few seconds. The rich , brown hair,the soft childish countenance and light brown eyes indicated nothing but frankness and sincerity. The boy held no family resemblance with his predecessor.

Both of them fell silent. Ayuru suspected the boy had sought him out only out of courtesy and was now probably looking for an escape route without seeming too obvious about it. He had to admire the young Lord's courage. But he wanted to see how far that naïve ideal would take the child.

"Would you like to come in?" Ayuru said smoothly, pinning the boy with one of his patented flat ,scrutinizing gazes.

The young lord started and hastily searched the tall man's features before speaking plainly, "Is it safe?"

The childish simplicity almost made him laugh. This boy was more suited for the role of a poster child for Suzaku's ideals than for that of an Emperor to a nation such as Kutoh.

"_That_, I leave to your judgement," drawled Ayuru evenly, baiting the boy further.

When after some time, the boy made no move, Ayuru offered further, " I have no weapons."

The statement was met with an impish grin from the young royal, "I am told, _you don't need any._"

With that, the child stepped inside the room and headed straight to the plain bed, wherein he flopped down in a very un-regal manner.

Resisting the urge to shake his head at the proceedings, the former Shogun smirked and followed suit, choosing to sink, a tad bit more gracefully, in a chair instead.

"You're really here to save our kingdom?" The child asked, without further preamble. His wide, light brown eyes were teeming with hope. Obviously, he was still too young to know about the advantages of a poker-face.

"The Suzaku no Miko is here to do that," Ayuru said, frowning slightly at the enthusiasm , the young lord was trying to white-wash his image with, " I am here to aid her in the process."

"That's good," the boy looked up, beaming, " The Suzaku no miko smiled at me in the court room. I think she was encouraging me to say what I wanted to say. I like her."

Perhaps it was the childish frankness that had disarmed him, or perhaps it was something else altogether. But the former Shogun of Kutoh was surprised when he heard himself admitting, voluntarily, "I like her too."_ Conditions apply,_ he added silently in his mind.

Obviously the statement was too spontaneous for his liking and he was going to make sure the Suzaku no miko _never_ heard it.

Nodding sagely, the boy Emperor looked at the ex-Shogun with expectant eyes, "But the Suzaku no miko would want to protect her own country more. If something happens to Kutoh, would you want to save us?"

It was an oddly perceptive question coming from a child. But given Nakago's infamy, it was probably not all that odd.

"I know you don't like our country all that much," the child added, as an afterthought.

"What makes you say that?" the blonde Shogun asked of the child Emperor in a deceptively, quiet voice.

"Well you killed the last Emperor and destroyed the palace..." the child shrugged and lapsed into uncertain silence.

Biting back a wry smile at the childish bluntness, Ayuru chose to question the child instead, "Are you related to the former Emperor?"

"He was my father," came the reply, " I am told."

Again silence.

"Why did you hate him?"

Ayuru smirked. Here was a question that begged answering, a snide voice at the back of mind commented.

"Your father, like every one else, was not a perfect man. Neither am I, for that matter. We... had our differences," he said shortly.

_He thought I was a girl and I didn't think so_, his inner voice supplied.

Whatever his feelings for the previous Emperor or his regime may have been, a part of him was secretly glad his soldiers had failed to carry out his last order to perfection. But then again, if the boy was even thirteen now, it was a miracle how no one had even known during the lifetime of Shoukitei, that he had indeed sired an heir. And a really perceptive one at that. Ayuru suspected the old letch himself probably had no idea either. Which was just as well.

"Will you, though?" a hopeful voice, dragged Ayuru out of his musings.

"Will I, what?"

"Save Kutoh, when the time comes?" the hopeful voice repeated it's earlier question.

Ayuru looked quietly at the solemn young Lord who had walked into his old room ,despite the latter's misgivings. The boy was undoubtedly brave and held a lot of good qualities, which was a surprise given his lineage and surroundings.

But despite the fact that he felt no animosity towards this slip of a boy who he had just met, Ayuru had no answer to the boy's question. It was true he no longer harbored the burning need to destroy the country which had mercilessly broken his spirit, a life time ago. But ever since he had set foot into the Shijintenchisho , he had resolved to remain neutral. Besides, saving countries was more along the miko's line of business.

"I will try not to disappoint you," he said , looking at the young boy sitting on the bed. He did not know what made him say it. It was a roundabout way of avoiding the child's question but at the same time, he found he didn't mind saying it either way. The Suzaku no miko and her nauseatingly idealistic seishi were probably going to have a field day if they heard him now.

Smiling brightly, the boy stood up, "That's good enough for me."

After Seireitei left, Ayuru remained seated in his chair. Weirdly enough, conversing with a child had actually eased a part of him that had turned restless the moment he had entered Kutoh.

The irony of having to be reincarnated in order to save the same world he had wanted to destroy, was not a pleasant topic to deal with.

He reached out with a bored expression, to open one of the lowers drawers in the mahogany table. The meeting was not likely to be adjourned any time soon and he had loads of time to spare, albeit unwillingly. All the drawers were stacked with sheaths of neatly stacked parchments he had no desire to go through. But he found something else he had quite forgotten about.

A faded, scarlet ribbon. It had been placed carefully towards the far end of the upper right drawer. It had been Soi's. Extracting it, he eyed the delicate material for a few seconds before pocketing it slowly.

It's a pity Nakago had learned to value his life only after he had lost it.

As it is, struggling with memories and feelings of two life time's was no walk in the park.

It had all happened in an instant. Just as the last breath had left the body of the proud, defeated Shogun, Gi Ayuru had felt realization flood through his conscious seamlessly, as if someone had just turned the lights on. It had been electrifying, enlightening and poignant.

He remembered that moment all too well, because it had also been the one and only case of a semi-goof up during a board meeting, in his otherwise stellar career.

_15th April, Copenhagen 12:30 pm_

That had been the last morning of his life, when he recognized himself as just Ayuru, only son of first generation Japanese, immigrant father Gi Kiritsugu and all-American Connecticut-born Sue Parker. He had grown up in Connecticut, as Kiritsugu preferred the sedate country life of his wife's hometown.

_The day had started out like any other. He woke up at 7 o' clock in the morning and left the usual voice mail on his parents' land line for the benefit of his mother who insisted that no calls from her only offspring meant that he was surely lying comatose in some hospital, having suffered a terrible road accident. At ten, that sort of smothering motherly love was endearing but at twenty-five it was infinitely less so. Hence, the voice mail._

_He was representing the Suzuki group in Denmark to negotiate on an important business deal with the international pharmaceutical giant Lundbeck. The meeting had gone reasonably fine and the associates gathered at the table responded well to the presentation. That is, till the memories of an entire lifetime had chosen to resurface. For one horrible, gut wrenching second,all the righteous anger, despair, and bittersweet acceptance that had defined the last moment's of Nakago's life had overwhelmed Ayuru completely. He felt Nakago live and die within him, in the space of a single breath. Only years of professional discipline had stopped him from closing his eyes and resting his overworked head on the table as the businessmen around him discussed the futures of their two companies. His mind, however, was hopelessly lost. _

"_What do you think, Mr. Gi?"_

_The guy had to repeat his question three times before Ayuru heard him._

"_Your final vote on this proposal?" _

_Ayuru stared at the man's face in vain, hoping the latter would elaborate further. His own mind had shut down on him and he had no idea what the proposal was._

"_I think, I would like more time to meditate on it," he managed to prevaricate with a straight face._

_The entire board in the room consisted of twelve people including himself and as soon as he replied, eleven faces turned to him in acute surprise._

_Till someone finally elaborated, "It's your proposal. You came up with it."_

_Oh._

"_Then naturally, I vote for the motion." It took a lot of effort at this point to maintain a curt and composed facade. _

_Later that night, he returned to his penthouse suite , tired and drained, only to find Emiko waiting for him. It had been an eventful month for her as well. Her second child had been born on the first week of the month, on the same day that the exploits of her philanderer husband had made it to the front page of every newspaper in Japan. But it was a tribute to her indomitable spirit, that she breezed through every scandal with all the elegance and finesse of a geisha at a tea ceremony. _

"_How would you feel, if you knew, I may have been a murderer in my past life?" he asked her bluntly. The floor-to-ceiling glass wall provided a magnificent, bird eye view of the entire city. _

_She got up from the large bed, and sashayed across the room, a half empty bottle wine of dangling loosely from one hand and a decanter from the other. If clothes did indeed make a man, the stunning brunette was very easily proving the proverb wrong by managing to look as regal as an empress, whilst wearing just a bed sheet and little else._

"_Does it matter?" she smirked coquettishly from under heavily hooded eyes, " In your next life you could be an adorable Koala bear, does it mean you should start living on bamboo trees now?"_

"_Your point?" he asked, raising his eyes at the very imaginative illustration._

_Dragging him to the couch, she straddled his lap, trailing languid kisses along the front of his open shirt , till his mind filled up with thoughts of an entirely different nature. _

"_Life is too short to waste time looking back or looking too far ahead," she said after a while,halting her ministrations. _

"_Should I not regret my misconducts at all then?" he asked her,gently tugging at the Egyptian silk sheet, "You're setting a bad example for your son."_

"_Regretting gets you nowhere," she said, as the pearly-white sheets pooled around her slim waist, " The least you can do, is not make the same mistakes twice."_

"_I will keep that in mind," he acknowledged simply,drawing her close._

"_It's a pity the doctors say no strenuous activity for two months. Takes half the joy of childbirth away, if you ask me." Emiko's flippant attitude towards every thing had been the perfect therapy, at the time._

"_How kind of you, to tell me that now." _

_The brunette laughed and held up the bottle of wine,"May I tempt you with some vintage Auslese instead?"_

_Eventually the day had ended on a memorable note. For the first time in months, he had actually called up his mother and conversed about nothing for an entire hour. Hearing her voice had been comforting. And also, relenting a little to her feelings assuaged him somewhat of the guilt of being helpless to protect another loving parent , a lifetime ago... _

* * *

><p>Miaka roamed around the grounds aimlessly. It felt nice to wander about the halls of the palace without having to worry about death or possible loss of limbs, as had been the norm formerly.<p>

She had not seen hide nor hair of the former Seiryu general since he had rudely shaken her off his trail a few hours ago.

It was _aggravating_ how the man steadfastly refused to let her glimpse so much as a miniscule scrap of his mind or his feelings but had no qualms reading her inside out when it suited him. One of these days she was determined to shake the truth out of him, even if it killed her. Literally.

She was headed towards the paved training grounds in the southern part of the palace, when a very curious sight caught her attention.

Catching her breathe, she slid back in the shadows of a nearby pillar. An extremely familiar tall, blonde ex-shogun was apparently deep in sword-training. Miaka watched with unbridled fascination as her former enemy swung the sword around in a series of complex movements. He was slow, as if he were remembering each technique as he practiced. And his pants were funny. The former general was wearing just an ivory Sashinuki Hakama whose 'ballooning' appearance was clearly hampering his usual formal-suits style. But despite the weird pants, it was hard to not admire the sinuous grace with which he executed his movements. The general stood with his back turned towards her and the dying rays of the sun reflected off his golden hair and sweat-glistened body with devastating effect. Her eyes traveled down his torso involuntarily, taking in the rippling musculature along his shoulder blades , his narrow waist and the long legs. Well developed biceps which were usually hidden under overpriced shirts flexed and relaxed gracefully. For an unrepentant ex-mass murderer, he was a bit _too_ handsome.

"The adage '_Once bitten, twice shy' _clearly holds no effect over you."

_And here's the exemplary manners to complete the pretty picture,_ Miaka thought wryly, rolling her eyes.

His back was still turned towards her and he had stopped parrying with the sword, but obviously, the former general had sensed her presence. He had probably known she was there all along.

Coming out of her hiding place from behind the pillar, the priestess of Suzaku met the leader of the Seiryu seishi with a dry smirk that matched his own.

"Balloon pants are not for you," she said, "And if I believed in idioms, I would also have to believe that leopards don't change their spots. You can't pick and choose."

"Because you have been so trusting of me, lately," he said flatly, pinning her with a hard blue gaze.

"I have been as trusting of you as you have been frank to me," Miaka said evenly.

Sheathing his sword, the former general turned to regard the petite Suzaku no Miko with part frank exasperation and part veiled amusement. In all their time as enemies, he had known very well how adamant and hard-nosed the miko was capable of being once she decided on something. But her obsession with his past was beginning to annoy him. Slightly.

"Can you not just, _let it go_?" his voice indicated he was at the end of his patience where this matter was concerned.

Of course subtlety bounced off her like a basketball.

"No."

"I don't inquire about what you did in kindergarten," he countered.

Call it intuition, but Miaka knew that finally she had managed to make a little chink in the barrier.

Raising her eyebrows at him, she spoke with mocking confidence. "Whatever I did in kindergarten, fortunately had no effect on the surrounding landscapes and population. The same can't be said for you."

Pausing, she looked at the tall man straight in the eye as her demeanor changed. Gone was the flighty teenager who wore her heart on her sleeves. Standing before Ayuru now, was the chosen priestess of Suzaku.

"I demand to know," she said fearlessly, her voice full of calm authority, "why _your_ plans affected _me_ so much."

They stood still, weighing each other, as if in a staring contest.

"Nakago-sama, the Emperor is ready to receive you in the shrine of Seiryu."

A random attendant bowed low, oblivious to the tension that was brimming in the atmosphere.

The resultant extra wide smirk that had erupted on the obnoxious Seiryu general's features at the sudden interruption had been nowhere near as priceless as the angry scowl that overspread the countenance of the priestess of the God of love.

"We shouldn't keep the Emperor waiting," the ex-Shogun said to the priestess, with a perfectly straight face, clearly enjoying the latter's discomfiture.

Miaka scowled angrily at the much taller man. "Don't think this is over."

Dismissing the attendant with a curt wave of his hand, the former Seiryu seishi turned towards the disappointed priestess. Miaka had to keep her anger from evaporating as her all-too-handsome arch nemesis strode towards her with the confident gait of a man of power. The muscles in his toned abdomen rippled with every movement. Alarm and guilt bit at her ferociously as she suddenly realized that instead of dutifully hating and distrusting Nakago like she was supposed to be doing, she had been unconsciously admiring her former enemy's physique instead. _What would Tamahome think_, he if could take a look at her mind right now? Mortification swept through her soul at the very thought.

"And take a bath," she said hastily, turning away from him before his physique did permanent psychological damage to her mind. "You _stink !_"

"Someone's in a hurry to get me out of my clothes," came a mocking , deep voice from behind her. It had her grinding her teeth together in frustration.

_Jackass._

Shaking her head at him in mock disappointment, the Suzaku no miko swept past the Seiryu warrior without another word and headed for the shrine of azure dragon. Her despicable, ill-mannered companion, could follow at his own leisure.

* * *

><p><strong>Hello xDD<strong>

Thank you for the reviews _Dessert Rennaissance,Honey, Bobby, Jacky, Glady, Zoeyn, Lili _and _Sin of the Fallen_. You guys rock xD

**Questions:**

**What all so interests Emiko?**

Emiko's interests? I have no idea XD But I can tell you what she is like as a person, strong, independent and filthy rich xD Her relationship with Nakago is mostly : friends with benefits

**Is it history Miaka & Nakago , or Nakago and Emiko? **( The additional questions were answered in the previous chapter)

Well Nakago has a history with Emiko here I guess. But the story is eventually Miaka x Nakago xD

**This site needs more Nakago love.**

You bet!

**This story inspired me to write about Miaka and Nakago**

Yay ! That couple has so much potential, I hope more people would write on them xD

**There is always a past/personal story/current life about each character which everyone wants to know about. Doesn't Miaka have a right to know about Nakago's past?**

An excellent point. About Nakago's current life, well I have been trying to add little things here and there for you to get a glimpse of how he lives now. But for the time being that he is in the book,exploring his social life would be difficult. We'll touch more on that in the sequel(s) or probably towards the end of this story if and when they both return from their adventures alive.

For the second question, it bothered me too for a while about why Nakago continuously discourages Miaka from knowing about his past. The answer, that came to me suddenly is, because he is a very proud person. And his past, kind of puts him in a very helpless, weak, victimized light ( even though its not his fault). Now, proud people or anyone I guess, would have trouble talking about a past like this because it makes them appear weak in front of others. No one wants to own up that they have been a rape victim, right? A lot of criminals who take part in events like this walk away free because the victims are too ashamed to come out and seek help. And on top of it, look who Nakago has to answer to. Miaka, who in his mind, is just a clumsy teenager who got lucky. Talking to her about his past would be more humiliating for him till he begins to treat her as a worthy adversary/opponent or even as an equal.

I guess this journey will be an inner struggle for Nakago because he has to learn how to embrace/accept his past without it affecting his proud persona. Probably he will himself tell it to Miaka someday, but on his own terms and at a time of his own choosing.

And you're right, this will happen later in the story, but only when Nakago himself chooses to speak on his own. Miaka won't be able to coax it out of him, hell will freeze over before Nakago lets a teenager manipulate him I guess.

Does that make sense? XDD

Well, I hope you guys enjoy this chapter as well. Don't forget to leave reviews.

And now I'll go to sleep xD

-goes to upload and sees another review-

**Flashyfirebird** : LOL hello ,welcome back btw xDD -dies at the mention of crappy editing- =\ I am definitely going to look into it though. Tomorrow. xD I think I read about Lady T being mention as the Overseer somehwhere. Meh, but you get the idea xD I forget where I got the Shakespeare inspiration from now, but definitely not school =\ all I learn there is the simple fact that I am really hopeless at C++ xD You're spot on about my interests however. I literally have to drag myself through other scenes. It's a bad habit xDD


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